Summer Days
by shark-princess
Summary: In a somewhat more savage depiction of the place called Neverland, Tiger Lily, an orphaned Native American huntress, finds herself befriending the Lost Boys, while becoming even closer, perhaps too close, to their carefree leader.
1. Chapter 1: Rainy Days

**Author's Note: Hi , I am just a random person from dA who decided to write a fanfic at 1AM... I wanted to base it off of this good book called Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (although it broke me internally and I cried for days), so I wrote this as a version of how I wanted it to end. Think of it like a "How it Should Have Ended" Book Edition...**  
><strong>And please excuse the errors... I'm not exactly geared towards writing XD This is technically my very first published fanfic on this website and I'm a bit nervous, so I hope you can excuse my occasional ignorance of grammar and details...<strong>  
><strong>Enjoy! ^^<strong>

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><p>It was late spring. The tall green trees of the Neverwood were beginning to grow back their thick leaves, the swift sparrows who flew about the island were returning from the south, and the deep waters of Mermaids' Lagoon, as well as its connecting rivers, were starting to fill back up with fish. The beautiful, vibrant, and mysterious place known as the famous Neverland would soon revert from its cold wintery white season to the warm and bright summer time in which it was usually depicted.<p>

But even though it was only another week or two before summer would start, that day had been the opposite of what most Neverland inhabitants were expecting; a day occupied by nothing but dark gray clouds, brisk winds, and heavy rain. Simply put, it would be a very wet one.

A few miles into the forest at the Sky Eaters village in the Neverwood, one of the rare huntresses from the village sprinted off from the entrance gate. She was a teenager, with rather intimidating dark amber eyes, tan calloused skin, and a long black braid of thick hair that whipped about in the air as she ran. She wore about her a dress made of deerskin, the hem of its skirt lingering above her knees, with a thick belt of string that was decorated with animal teeth and some beads, and suede brown moccasins on her feet. A pretty pearl pendant was strung around her neck, a gift from her old father which she kept dear to her. But most recognizably, a black crow feather was placed near her temple in her hair.

As the fierce huntress ran further into the woods, Tiger Lily's sharp ears heard the sounds of scampering going on in the bushes far ahead; and as she glanced at the muddy ground, she could see different paw prints, although they resembled that of a rabbit's, perhaps more than one. Tiger Lily simultaneously reached for the twin tomahawks worn by her hips on her belt as she continued to dash through the trees; these served as her weapons, and as her main tools for hunting.

Right when she spotted a few balls of white fur in the distance hiding near some shrubs, Tiger Lily silently stopped abruptly and stepped quietly behind a tree. She spied in the direction of the rabbits, where the paw prints she had started following led up to; there was more than one rabbit or two rabbits, but three, all the color of snow with bloodshot red eyes: albinos. The three sat underneath a large tree, sheltering from the rain. But it was obvious that they had heard her, and their ears were perked up while two of them stood up on their hind legs to look about, each one standing still and ready to take off if necessary. But Tiger Lily wouldn't let them get away that easily.

Tiger Lily pulled up her right hand, which held a deadly tomahawk, raising it in the air and revealing a long, tightly braided cord attached to its hilt. She analyzed the positioning of the trees surrounding her and the rabbits, quickly strategized a method of killing them, and readied her aim for the right angle as precisely as she could, ready to put her plan into motion.

After three seconds, Tiger Lily tossed the tomahawk to her right like a frisbee, swinging it smoothly. It's movement was so quick that it made almost no sound as it cut through the air. The cord trailing behind it wrapped slightly around the nearest tree diagonal to Tiger Lily's right, and then swung back around to the tree standing right in front of the rabbits, and with a slicing hit, the tomahawk's blade stuck into the tree while making a loud noise.

Just as she had planned, the rabbits panicked, sensing danger, and were now running to Tiger Lily's direction.

Tiger Lily threw her other tomahawk at one rabbit, her aim exact as it cut into the rabbit's side, while pulling her other tomahawk stuck in the tree and swinging it back to her. With her other arm, she pulled a sharp stone knife from her belt and threw it with its sharp point leading, stabbing into another rabbit. And even though the third rabbit was starting to get away, Tiger Lily's other tomahawk was already flying back to her and with a swift throw of the cord, it launched out blade-forward and cut down right on top of the rabbit's back. All three were dead.

Tiger Lily grinned at her victory, showing a rare triumphant smile that not many people saw. It was only when she was hunting that her passion began to show. As the rain pattered down, she gathered the three bodies of the rabbits, tied them into a big bundle and latched it onto a sling on her back, and decided that once she would clean the blood off of her hands by the nearby river, she'd return back to the village with her catch.

With her tomahawks and knife strung back onto her belt, Tiger Lily headed through the rain and over to the closest river; it was a bit of a ways a way, flanked by bushy shrubbery. It was one of the many rivers that she used to clean her hands whenever out hunting, whether it be an animal's blood, her own blood, or just dirt or mud. She was about to find a way through the thick shrubs when she looked over them to the river and stopped herself immediately.

Another person was already at the river. It was not someone from her tribe, that was for sure, but someone whom she had seen before. It was a boy, about fifteen or sixteen years of age, same as her, with reddish brown hair and blueish green eyes. He wore a loose-fitting ripped green shirt, torn brown pants, and black shoes with holes all about. He appeared rather tall and slim, and was crouching on the opposite side of the river with bent knees, rubbing his hands in the cold water. And to Tiger Lily's interest, scarlet liquid washed off of his fingers and palms and drifted into the currents of the river. It was the infamous Peter Pan.

Tiger Lily had seen Peter Pan occasionally when spotting him randomly about in the Neverwood, climbing trees and running about through the woods. He was usually alone, which was odd, because she had heard that he was the leader of the Lost Boys, a group of young boys who lived in the Neverwood and caused trouble for the nearby pirates. Tiger Lily had been instructed many times, along with the other boys and girls her age and younger of the tribe, to stay away from Peter Pan and never go near or interact with him, as he only brought problems wherever he went.

And yet the careless and fleet-footed young man himself was also busy washing blood off of his hands. But interestingly enough, the blood seemed to continue flowing off of his hands for a while; a deep-routed cut looked to have formed into his left hand.

Tiger Lily decided it wouldn't be best to approach him, aware of the orders given to her by the tribe chieftain, and made up her mind that she would go find another river to wash her hands in; as even if she decided she could use another part of the same river, the only direction she could go to would be upstream, due to downstream leading directly to the dangerous Mermaids' Lagoon, and if she would go upstream, chances were likely that the blood would be seen coming down the river by him and she'd most likely be discovered. Quietly stepping away from the shrubs, she turned her back on the oblivious Peter Pan and walked in another direction to the next nearest river that she knew of.

Despite it being only mid-afternoon, the clouds seemed to get even darker as she walked further, and the rain falling down felt heavier than before. The next river was still a while away, so she continued passing through the tall trees, thinking it would be best to just walk rather than run, with the thicker mud forming on the ground. With every step digging in and out of the mud, Tiger Lily swore that she could hear low thunder in the distance. Storms weren't often in spring.

Finally, Tiger Lily reached the next river and sat on her knees beside its running currents, dipping her hands into the chilly water. The blood had practically begun to cake on her hands, even in the little wrinkles and crinkles in her skin, so she had predicted it would take slightly longer to clean her hands; but thankfully, the cold water washed it off quicker than expected. Once they were completely cleansed of rabbit blood, Tiger Lily stood back up and attempted to wring her hands dry on the edge of her dress, but with the fabric being soaked, it was a pointless attempt. She returned temporarily underneath a thicker tree with dryer shelter and briskly squeezed the water out of her braid. Now, she was ready to head back.

Remembering where the village was located, Tiger Lily walked back into the trees and towards the direction of the village entrance. It was raining even harder now; each heavy drop struck hard on her body as it fell from the dark gray clouds above. The thunder sounded as if it was getting even closer now, rumbling louder and louder, even a lightning strike exploding near the mountains far away. At this point, Tiger Lily was starting to get concerned. The weather hadn't been too horrible that year, and today certainly broke a record.

Little did she realize that someone was following her.

Unexpectedly with a blink of an eye, a mysterious person leaped from behind a tree and tackled Tiger Lily to the ground, causing her to nearly land face-first into the mud. Before she could react, however, her attacker caught both of her wrists and held them tightly in one hand as Tiger Lily struggled; whoever this person was, he or she was stronger than she was.

The attacker held Tiger Lily down on her side and sat crouched on top of her, and reached their free hand out for her collar and turning her to face them. The clouds were so dark at this point, combined with the shadows of the trees casting on the ground, that Tiger Lily couldn't even recognize their face, but judging from their strength and their hold on her, she could assume that the person was a boy.

And it was just then that a blue bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and light streaked over the two. Tiger Lily looked up into the person's face and realized to her shock who it was; it was none other than Peter Pan himself.

His clothes were wet and soaked completely through, his hair drenched, and his face beaded with a layer of rainwater and what appeared to be sweat. Judging from his current condition, it seemed as though he had been out in the rain just as long as she had. As the two locked eyes, his expression striked her as being both solemn yet serious, and an intimidating look pierced from his eyes into Tiger Lily's. But that wouldn't stop her from struggling.

Peter Pan had an iron grip on her wrists and collar, and his legs held down the rest of her body and prevented her from moving too much, yet she continued to kick her legs furiously. Just as she was eye to eye with him, the trouble-making teen briefly let go of her collar and pulled a long, sharp knife from his belt, glinting brightly as another crackle of lightning appeared in the sky ahead.

With the blade pointing at her neck, he took hold of the pearl pendant necklace around Tiger Lily's neck and cut the string, quickly removing it and putting it around his own with the knife still in hand. He held the ends together by placing them in between his teeth, pressing them down and keeping the strings in place.

Confused by his actions, Tiger Lily growled and attempted to throw Peter Pan off of her with by heaving her lower torso to the side, which somewhat succeeded, as it appeared that the boy had done what he had wanted to do, and while he was almost flung sideways into a mud puddle, he pushed himself back up with his left arm, refusing to let his guard down.

Now thinking defensively, he held the knife at Tiger Lily and touched the tip of it to her neck, as if silently threatening that he would kill her if she made another move.

Tiger Lily lay still with the blade pointing directly at her, but fury still burned in her eyes and she glared at Peter Pan as if her gaze would scorch a hole straight through him.

Peter Pan, his expression unchanged since first pinning her down, got off of her and pulled her wrists up while firmly grabbing her shoulder to make her stand up. Just as she started struggling again, he put his foot in front of her foot and pulled back, keeping her held aback. He held her in so close, his chest touching the back of her ribs. Now with her back faced to him, he dug the knife a little ways more into her back, still holding onto her wrists. Tiger Lily growled under her breath in frustration, although a voice in the back of her head wondered if she would be killed in a moment or so.

But instead, Peter Pan briefly retracted the knife and forcefully shoved Tiger Lily into the large bush in front of them. Just when she pulled herself out of the bush's tendrils and turned around, he was already gone.

Her hand instantly went to her neck and she touched the place where the necklace had once been. Why Peter Pan had wanted a pearl necklace like that confused her, but it angered her even more that the only reason he had only decided to follow her just to cut it off and take it for himself. Not only that, but it had been a gift from her father, and that didn't please Tiger Lily one bit.

She briefly glanced at her wrists, and noticed the imprint left on them from the hard grasp of Peter Pan's hands. They even hurt and felt sore; he was a lot stronger than he looked.

Tiger Lily then cast her gaze upon the muddy ground, where only a few of his foot prints were visible until they led right up to the trunk of a tree, which appeared to have been scaled by someone. But even if she had the ambition to go hunt him down and get her necklace back, she knew she was in no condition to do so, and the weather certainly was not on her side for the day.

In contrast to her initial triumph at catching the three rabbits, Tiger Lily walked back to the village feeling defeated and ashamed that she had lost her father's precious gift, while still building up the rage she would need to get it back as well.

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><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: So that's the first chapter! I hope I can start on the next chapter soon, I have a pretty fair idea of how to continue the story, still have no idea how to end it though... I'll figure something out.**  
><strong>Any reviews or feedback is greatly appreciated! My writing skills feel kind of rusty and out-of-touch so any advice or tips on writing, or even just the story in general, would help me out a lot. I'm kind of new to posting on here, and I hope I can get into the habit of trying to update frequently on here (and when I mean frequently I mean at least once a week). Thanks for reading!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Cloudy Days

**Author's Note: The second chapter is finally done! I got 8 views on the first chapter on its first day and I was never happier in my entire life lol XD I know this chapter seems a bit long in comparison (it's twice the amount of words, of course it is XD) and I may still have to update it frequently to fix whatever mistakes I've forgotten. Some of you may notice that all of my inspiration comes at night (right now it's 3:49AM)...**  
><strong>I also realize that there was really no dialogue in the last chapter, but this one finally has some, yay!<strong>

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p>It had been 3 days since Tiger Lily had gotten her necklace taken from Peter Pan, and despite the fact that she had been going out everyday, with the excuse of hunting, to go search for him, she returned to the village each time feeling more annoyed than before.<p>

The days otherwise had been quite cloudy and overcast; thus, the sky was always blanketed with a thick layer of gray. It didn't rain quite as often, with maybe a few showers here and there, but nothing too overly major in comparison to the storm three days previous. Because of this, they had been quiet, peaceful days, a refreshing change for Tiger Lily, contrast to the usual business in the Sky Eaters village.

But finally, Tiger Lily decided that she would take her search a step forward and go into "the Forbidden Territory", as the older adults in the village described; also known as, the land around the home of the Lost Boys.

While she knew that she wasn't allowed to do so and would be severely punished if caught, Tiger Lily was willing to take the risk. The necklace Peter Pan had stolen was a treasure to her, the last thing ever given to Tiger Lily from her father before his death. She was prepared to risk everything that she could in order to get her prized possession back.

Once she had taken her tomahawks and her knives and strung them back on her belt, Tiger Lily took off to the village entrance and sprinted through the trees, as part of her daily routine at this point. Her plan today for the necklace's retrieval was simple; re-look in every place that she had checked for the past few days, which included scaling the area around the village and passing along the rivers, and then, that would be the moment where she would head near the territory of the Lost Boys. There, she would try to catch Peter Pan off on his own, knock him out, and take the necklace back before anyone could catch her.

While it was a long plan that would most likely be carried out tediously in the beginning, Tiger Lily knew that she had to be extra careful and check the places she had checked the days before to see of any evidence. And besides, with her well-trained speed, it was possible that she could get the job done relatively quickly and without too much trouble. After all, she had memorized the Neverwood due to her almost daily hunting trips and occasional explorations since from when she was young, and even more once she had stopped aging.

Scouting along the trees, Tiger Lily passed through every single thicket of trees and along every single river, while still trying her best to be stealthy, doing her best to look out for any signs of expeditioning Lost Boys, or in particular, Peter Pan. As she continued to scale the areas, she didn't see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. She even passed by the place where the whole event occurred, in which Peter Pan sabotaged her and took away her pendant, before shoving her into a bush and managing to escape. The imprints of their feet and where they had been lying had evened out over the course of those three days and there was almost no trace of them anymore.

Finally deciding she had rechecked every area nearby, Tiger Lily tightened one of her hands into a fist and prepared herself for her next part of the plan; getting to the land of the Lost Boys.

As she ran through the woods, the clouds overhead up in the sky began to darken slowly, turning a few shades darker every few minutes. Although Tiger Lily became suspicious as she looked through the corner of her eye, at the same time, she could not sense any rumblings of thunder, anywhere at all. And just like the last few days, no rain was taking place, not even any droplets falling from the sky. Tiger Lily decided to assume that the clouds were simply growing thicker, and for the time being, there was nothing to worry about.

Dashing through the trees, Tiger Lily then realized that she was beginning to enter unknown territory; different positioning of trees, a new type of bush every so often, even things that she had never noticed before, like noticeable birds nests or large holes in the trees. Perhaps she was getting closer...

Tiger Lily began to slow down; it would be easiest not to rush too much into things, especially important ones like this. She stalked along the ground slowly, carefully placing each foot to make sure she would not be heard, while keeping both her eyes and ears alert for any oncoming signs of human life.  
>Then she suddenly stopped at the sound of what sounded like stampeding.<p>

Just as she was attempting to analyze the noise, a male teen burst out of a bush thicket and sprinted straight forward, head down and powerful arms and legs moving. It was only in a split second that Tiger Lily realized that he was heading straight for her. The boy quickly looked up and his eyes widened in surprise before he came crashing into her.

Their bodies colliding together, Tiger Lily was knocked back from the strong force and fell back, landing hard on her spine; unfortunately, the sudden shock from the surprise had rendered her temporarily unwary. The boy was on top of her, his head sitting on her shoulder as he lay dazed on top of her, his red hair brushing on her ear and her chin.

The boy slowly pushed himself up a few inches off the ground with his arms by her sides, until the two looked at each other once opening their eyes and silence took place. Tiger Lily looked up to see a familiar face, bluish green eyes staring down, shocked, at her, with her pearl pendant fixed and dangling from his neck. Peter Pan's cheeks looked hot with embarrassment, and even though Tiger Lily herself was blushing slightly, anger over took her emotions instead.

"You!" she snapped as she proceeded to yank at Peter's collar and reach out for the pearl, but his hand quickly grabbed firmly on to her's and stopped her abruptly.

"Not now," he said to her, his voice low and quiet, their noses almost touching as he leaned in close.

Just then, a larger man erupted out from the same bush thicket. He was mighty and tall, with beefy muscles rippled across his arms and legs. His impressive size also came with an impressive stomach, carrying about a pot belly below his chest. He dressed in ragged attire, a large sword worn in a scabbard on his belt, but wore on him a bandanna with a skull imprinted on it. It was a pirate.

The pirate panted for a moment, before seeing Peter on top of Tiger Lily, and he hesitated no longer than a tiny fraction of a second.

"PETER PAN!" he roared, reaching out his massive hands, preparing to grab him. But Peter reacted quickly and tightened an arm around Tiger Lily's waist, pulling her with him out of the way of the pirate's attack.

Letting go of her, Peter Pan pulled out the dagger Tiger Lily had seen before and began sparring at the pirate, attempting to hinder him. The pirate quickly pulled his own sword from his belt and began clashing blades with the trouble-making teen. "Run!" Peter shouted to her, distracting the pirate so she could escape.

But Tiger Lily knew right off the bat that she would do no such thing; if the pirate did indeed kill Peter Pan, chances were that he would take the body back to the pirate ship Jolly Roger and toss him off into the ocean. And Tiger Lily needed her necklace back first before anything else. As such, she grabbed at her tomahawks, ready to battle.

Tiger Lily tossed her right tomahawk and it hit the pirate square in the back of his head, causing him to look to her direction. His eyes boiled in fury as he saw her that her tomahawks were raised, prepared to attack.

"You want to die too?! Then I'll beat you as well, Indian scum!"

Growling mightier than any lion, the pirate launched himself to Tiger Lily, sword held high, to which she side stepped and sliced her tomahawk across his back. A few droplets of blood shed, although it was not intended to cut too deep. The pirate turned to face her and snarled, in which he began slicing his sword continuously at her. With every slice, Tiger Lily moved smoothly out of the way of each one, until finally deflecting it quickly with one tomahawk and then tossing her other, swinging it and creating a cut going over the pirate's cheek and across the bridge of his nose.

The pirate, now even more angry than before, held his sword all the way up into the sky and prepared to slam it down into a deep stab into Tiger Lily. But dodging it quickly, Tiger Lily then threw both tomahawks towards the pirate's legs, the cords encircling tightly around his thighs, causing his knees to buckle and for him to fall down. And before he could react, Tiger Lily then leaped up gracefully into the air with her knife at hand, and with a warrior cry, stabbed the blade deep into the pirate's chest.

Yelling out in pain, the pirate seemed to slump over, as Tiger Lily made an elegant landing back to the ground. She looked up to see that Peter Pan, who had been standing by the side the whole time, had been watching her as she fought. He stood in a more relaxed manner, leaning on his right side with his knife still in hand, but his grip was more loose on its handle. While his expression was hard to read, he gave the impression of someone impressed, but also surprised.

Tiger Lily walked right up to him, knife pointed towards him. "Give me the necklace," she ordered. She poked the tip of the blade to his chest, above it rested the pearl necklace she was seeking.

Peter Pan's eyes hardened slightly, but his gaze seemed unchanging. "You're a pretty good fighter," he noted, looking to the pirate on the ground. "Do you do this all the time?"

Tiger Lily ignored his comment and question and looked deeply into his eyes, intensifying her stare as her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She refused to repeat her request twice.

But instead of him responding to her order, Peter's eyes softened as he looked over her face, and a docile smile grew on his lips. "Why so serious?" he asked quietly, his voice gentle, as if suddenly taking admiration to Tiger Lily's determination.

Tiger Lily nearly hesitated, somewhat annoyed of Peter's easiness around her, and to transmit her emotions, began to dig the blade in a little deeper.

"Relax," he said, putting a hand on the blade of the knife and pushing it off lightly, his eyes still focused on her. His hand led back up to his neck towards the pendant, until suddenly he looked up and his face suddenly became hard.

"Move!" But just as his hands gripped her shoulders and were about to push her off to the side, Tiger Lily felt a hard, sturdy object strike her across the back of her head. The hit was so powerful, that she felt every muscle in her body go limp. She fell, hitting the ground hard and feeling her eyes begin to flutter, letting go of the handle of her knife as her grip went weak.

As she lay, beginning to go unconscious, she heard a loud thump fall a few feet away from her, and the last thing she saw was Peter rushing to her side, his face tense with worry, his hands grabbing for her shoulders and starting to shake them, and the last thing she heard was his gentle voice gone harsh, yelling at her, desperately trying to keep her awake...

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><p>The next hour or so, Tiger Lily was barely conscious. Although she was confused about what was going on around her, at the same time, she was unable to fully awaken herself.<p>

As the minutes passed by, Tiger Lily felt herself slip in and out of consciousness over time. She could feel herself moving, but not that she was moving herself, but something else was. She felt two arms pressed on to her; one arm felt as if it was cradling her back, the other holding up her legs at the backs of her knees. Her body was turned towards another body, in which her head was leaning against its chest, her arms resting on her waist and her legs dangling as she moved.

_Who's carrying me?_ she wondered, her head occasionally slipper front and back. Her ear then found itself in a certain spot where a loud pounding was heard. It followed a steady beat, and was not pounding too slow or too fast. It was a heartbeat.

With the noise throbbing in her ears and feeling as if the sound was echoing all throughout her body, Tiger Lily suddenly felt at immense peace, and finally she was able to completely relax herself. She leaned in more towards the person's chest, resting her cheek on their heart and breathing in the warmth emanating from them. Never had she felt so comforted just by someone's beating heart, and even if she had before, it didn't give off this kind of aura...

What settled her the most was when the person carrying them leaned their own head in, and she felt a pair of lips brush against her forehead, moving away a few hairs in the way. They were light, soft, and gentle, and they stayed put against her skin, inhaling as if breathing her in, and then exhaling warm air onto her face, allowing Tiger Lily to bathe in this sweet tenderness.

And to her chagrin, she fell back asleep, unconscious once again.

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><p>When Tiger Lily awoke, she instantly felt cold, missing the aura of the person holding her in their arms. Her eyes blinked open slowly as her arms instinctively wrapped themselves around herself, trying to keep her warm, and as they opened, she looked down at what she was lying on; it was a cold stone floor.<p>

Tiger Lily gently pushed herself up, wiping away at her eyes and scratching behind her ear, before realizing to her surprise that she was surrounded.

Tiger Lily was in a cave, a dark cave lit by candles sitting around the floor. The cave was somewhat small, only resembling that of what felt like the insde of a small hut. The ceiling was not very low, perhaps high enough for her to stand up in, and no outdoor light was present or able to be seen. And as she looked around her, she noticed that she wasn't alone in the cave.

Sitting around her were boys, six boys to be exact, all curled around her, looking intently at her. They appeared to be somewhat young, the oldest looking to be about twelve years old, and their young innocent eyes flashed with curiosity as she looked around them.

"Hey, she woke up!" said one.

"She looks so confused," joked another.

"Do you think she might be hungry?" asked a third.

"Well we haven't heard her stomach rumble yet," snapped a fourth.

"Boys, stop!" An older, more mature voice, spoke through them. "She's just woken up, of course she's confused..."

Tiger Lily looked behind her to see Peter Pan approaching. He appeared to have been sitting there near the back and had been observing the whole charade. "Now why not you introduce yourselves," he suggested. "It will help her feel a little more comfortable."

"Okay," said one. He pulled Tiger Lily over so she would face him. He appeared to be a boy of at least eleven and had scruffy light brown hair and blue eyes. "I'm Nibs," he said.

"I'm Tootles," another said. Tootles was somewhat shorter with black hair and brown eyes.

While Nibs and Tootles were looking at her, a gruff hand grasped around the top of Tiger Lily's hair and felt down it, before letting go once reaching the bottom. She turned around to see a boy, a bit taller and larger in general, with dirty blond hair and green eyes. He smirked as she looked to him suspiciously.

"And that's Slightly," Nibs said. "He's the one who just molested your hair."

Slightly grinned.

Another boy spoke up, this time a boy with distinctive curly brown hair. "I'm Curly," he told her. "I'm named after my hair, so it's an easy name to remember," he added helpfully.

And finally two boys with identical appearances popped up, both with dark brown wavy hair and black eyes. They were twins. "And these are the Twins," Curly said. "We don't have names for them, we just call them Twin 1 and Twin 2."

"So what's your name?" Tootles asked, putting his hand by her side and looking her in the eye. "Peter says you never told him."

"Yeah, what is your name, anyway?" Peter spoke up, leaning over now, his legs crossed and his head resting on one of his fists.

Tiger Lily hesitated, but she decided it would be of no use to lie. "Tiger Lily," she said.

Nibs, Tootles, and Curly smiled. "That's a neat name," Nibs noted.

"What's a tiger lily?" one of the Twins asked.

"It's a flower," Peter said. "A very beautiful flower."

Tiger Lily felt her face grow a slight bit hot at his comment.

"Just like Tiger Lily!" Tootles jokingly poked her cheek softly. "Tiger Lily is pretty too..."

"If you bring a girl here, you could at least bring a girl with some more curves," Slightly said aloud, receiving a sharp look from Peter, and a hit on the head by Curly.

"He didn't mean it," Nibs assured her. "You're pretty just the way you are, Tiger Lily."

Tiger Lily blushed, but she made a small smile, making the other boys jump. "She smiled!" the Twins said happily in unison. Even Peter seemed suddenly interested. "Can I see?" he asked, getting up and moving to sit beside the boys and look at her. He seemed to hesitate for a moment as if to look carefully, but then he smiled back.

"Should you be getting back?" Tootles asked nervously. "It is pretty dark outside."

This made Tiger Lily feel anxious; was the rest of the village wondering where she was at this hour? She felt the need to leave.

"We can all walk her back," Curly openly suggested.

"No, you guys stay back here, I'll walk her back," Peter said, standing up. He held out his hand to Tiger Lily. "Come on, let's go."

She reluctantly took hold of his hand and sat up.

"Well, bye, Tiger Lily," Nibs said.

"It was really nice meeting you," Tootles added.

"And you seem really nice," Curly said as well.

"Your braid felt nice," Slightly called out.

The Twins began waving goodbye, and the others started waving goodbye as well. Tiger Lily looked towards them one last time and also waved goodbye, and she couldn't help but smile again at their sweet gesture.

Peter led her out of the cave, leading her back outside into the woods. It definitely was much darker; the clouds had gone nearly black, and you could barely see even a few feet ahead. Peter took her hand again. "It's really dark out, and we'll get separated in this darkness," he explained. "I'll show you out back to your part of the Neverwood."

Tiger Lily was silent, but she held on to his hand as he gently pulled her along.

Peter carefully led Tiger Lily through the woods. He managed to evade the trees ahead and the bushes standing in the way. The sky almost felt as if it was growing darker by the minute. Tiger Lily felt her hand growing warmer from Peter's grasp.

After several minutes, Peter stopped and pulled her lightly from the arm to his side. "Your village should be over there," he told her, pointing out into the distance.

"Will you be alright?" he asked. "Your head probably must still hurt, that pirate hit you pretty hard..."

Tiger Lily thought back on it, before she nodded. "I'm alright," she replied.

"Good," Peter said. She swore she could hear a smile in his voice.

"You should come back sometime," he added, his hand still clasping her's. "The boys seem to like you a lot and you get along with them fine." He suddenly gripped a little tighter. "Would you?"

Tiger Lily hesitated. "If I can get away with it..."

Peter laughed a little. His laughter was light-hearted, filled with happiness, making Tiger Lily want to smile again. "Well, please come visit us if you can, they'd really appreciate it..." He placed his other hand on her's. "And I'd appreciate it too."

Tiger Lily blushed, but in the darkness, it was probably hard to see.

"Thank you for saving me," she then said, trying not to sound awkward.

"It's fine," Peter told her assuredly. She could see his grin through the darkness. "You looked really peaceful when you were asleep too. I was really worried..." He rubbed his hand on her's. "But I'm really happy you're okay."

"Thanks," Tiger Lily said, although she wished she could have sounded more meaningful.

"Oh, and I forgot something." The boy let go of her hand and untied something from around his neck; the pearl necklace. He handed it back to her. "I'm sorry I took it from you."

Tiger Lily held it in both hands. "Why did you take it in the first place?"

Peter hesitated for a moment. "Well, I happened to see you near the river, and I saw your necklace, and I wanted to see it for myself..." For some reason, the answer didn't seem too true. "I hope you don't hold it against me too much," he added jokingly.

"I'm just glad I have it back," Tiger Lily responded.

Peter Pan seemed quiet for a moment, although it didn't seem like an awkward quiet, but one of those moments where he appeared deep in thought. But he stopped thinking for a second and regained his composure.

"Well, I'll see you sometime this week then?" he asked.

"If I find you."

"I'm most certain you will."

Peter held out his hand expectantly, and then waved it up and down. "I'm told that you do this when you become friends with someone," he explained. "Just grab my hand and follow my lead."

Tiger Lily looked at his hand through the darkness, then taking it, and the two shook hands.

"I'll see you then!" Peter told her, and he began to walk back to the cave.

Still clutching the pendant, Tiger Lily sighed with relief, and started heading back home, not only happy that she would be returning with her prized possession, but also happy of something else; and although she hated to admit it, it was most likely from the new friendships she had just created.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that was the second chapter! I hope people like it, I know I don't really have any followers or favorites on here, and honestly I'm not expecting that much; but I hope that whoever reads this at least likes the story and where it's going so far. I've planned out each chapter except for the final one, that one will take some work. Tried to include some more romantic moments in here too, but hopefully there are plenty more to come ^^**

**Any reviews or feedback are greatly appreciated, and thank you for reading!**  
><strong>(The next chapter should be out either tomorrow or later this week)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Breezy Days

**Author's Note: Finally, the third chapter has been written... I was forced to cut this chapter short due to plot inconvenience, so perhaps I'll have to add an extra chapter to the story =_= Which is bearable in the end, I suppose. I'm worried that this chapter will look like lower-quality work in comparison to my other two chapters, so I hope it's not too horrible...**

**Some more romantic moments ahead :)**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p>It was another cloudy day; the sky layered with gray, the sun invisible through the blanket of clouds, and any sign of warmth undetectable from the lack of heat. It was just like how most days had been for the past week; nothing but overcast weather. Still a surprise for late spring; but soon enough, the Neverlanders knew that summer would be arriving.<p>

As the wind blew through the trees overhead, Tiger Lily stepped through the tall grass, four bundled birds slung over her shoulder. While usually Tiger Lily didn't hunt birds that often, she had decided that day to take a short expedition through the open fields overlooking the ocean, in which she found a few birds hiding in the tall green grasses. Killing birds in a field was a lot more difficult, considering that the grass tended to hinder the hunter's view and the birds could escape by taking off to the sky at any moment; but Tiger Lily's luck must have increased that day.

With her four birds tied in bundles of two, Tiger Lily put the bodies inside her pack before heading off back into the woods. Despite the somber weather, it still felt somewhat more pleasant than most days. As she walked through the clumps of trees, a calm breeze blew gently through her hair, making Tiger Lily instantly feel refreshed and proud of a hard morning's work.

It was then that Tiger Lily noticed that she had happened to pass by the Mermaid's Lagoon; it was the only real lake present in the Neverwood and all rivers running throughout the land were connected to it. Why it was called Mermaid's Lagoon; well, it was the very residence of mermaids.

The waters were usually clear and clean from a distance, but during the night, it appeared as a murky and dismal place. This contributed to one of the reasons why Tiger Lily never approached the lagoon.

Tiger Lily didn't trust the mermaids; while she didn't have much of a problem with them, as they never ate too many fish or caused her too many difficulties with her hunting, they just bothered her. Tiger Lily understood more than anyone else that they were dangerous beings, monsters who blinded others with their stunning beauty, which hid their sharp claws and rows of jutted teeth. If there was anything on Neverland that was not to be messed with, it was the mermaids, hands down.

But at the moment, it didn't seem that the mermaids were showing themselves. Perhaps the sunless weather prevented them from displaying themselves of basking on their tall rocks and tanning in the sun's glare. Or maybe they were being wary of non-male visitors; it was well-known that they typically preyed upon men.

Since the day so far had been quite successful, Tiger Lily decided she would sit down in the short grass, while keeping her distance away from the potentially harmful waters.

Staring out in the water, Tiger Lily sighed. It had been two days since she had been rescued by Peter Pan and introduced to the infamous Lost Boys. While she hated to admit it, the days had felt somewhat longer and more boring than most; on the days she had encountered herself with Peter, those days had always been the busiest; or at least, the most exciting. Since those two days ago, Tiger Lily had not seen or heard from the young man, and she was beginning to get curious about his whereabouts.

Looking out of the corner of her eye, Tiger Lily then realized that someone in the trees was watching her. She looked to her left, quickly becoming suspicious.

The person must have sensed her wariness, and they stepped out from the grove of trees. To Tiger Lily's surpise, it was none other than Peter Pan.

Of course, he hadn't changed in the last two days, although a cut in his shirt going across his chest seemed to have been made; thus, the skin underneath was somewhat visible. He even carried about him now a scar, gone diagonal on his forehead just above his left eye, although it looked as if it was in the process of healing.

But what surprised Tiger Lily the most was the creature which he held in his hands; as in Peter's grasp was a little wolf puppy. It was a silver one, with large triangular ears and a fluffy mane surrounding its neck, with a black wet nose and dark amber eyes. Its torso was being held in Peter's hands, its forelegs and paws hanging over them, and its hind legs dangling. The puppy didn't even try to escape from his grip; it looked rather calm and tired instead.

"Hey, it's been awhile," Peter said, then smiling as he held up the puppy. "'See what I found?"

Tiger Lily didn't reply, busy analyzing the little creature with curiosity.

Peter walked over to her side and sat beside her, now resting the wolf puppy on his lap. "He was the runt of the litter," Peter explained, "and the mother couldn't take care of him, so I took him off her hands." He scratched behind the puppy's ear tentatively.

"But I can't take care of him either," Peter added, allowing it to playfully nibble his fingers as it sat on its back, wriggling its paws in the air. "Even though I know the boys would love him, I don't know if we'd be able to take proper care of him. After all, we can't get meat as often as we'd like to, and I doubt the little guy would enjoy wild vegetables."

Then Peter picked it up and held it in front of Tiger Lily. "So that's why I wondered if you would want it."

Tiger Lily looked at the puppy carefully, before sticking her finger at it near its mouth. The puppy gnawed lightly on her finger tip, then proceeding to lick it lovingly.

"See? Why wouldn't you want him?" Peter smiled. "He's fun to play with..." he added.

Tiger Lily knew better than to take it back with her. The village would be skeptical of keeping it.

Sensing her reluctance, Peter held the puppy a little lower so it would face her directly.

"Please, Tiger Lily," the wolf said, with Peter's voice, "please take me back with you to the village. I promise I won't hurt you or your family and the first thing I'll do everyday is greet you with a sweet kiss!" With that, he handed the puppy to Tiger Lily, basically forcing it into her hands, and the puppy grew excited and stood up on its hind legs with its paws on her chest before licking her face delightfully. When it started rubbing its head affectionately into her neck, Tiger Lily hesitatingly placed her fingers on the soft fur between its ears and pet its head, to which the puppy responded adamantly.

Although it was a fairly docile pup, Tiger Lily would be unable to keep it. If her father would have disapproved, then there would be no point in taking it home with her.

"I can't take him," Tiger Lily said. "He is an animal."

"But he loves you," Peter grinned, white teeth glowing. "And besides," he began to say, his gaze becoming more gentle and kind, "he has your eyes." A warm smile grew on his lips.

Tiger Lily felt her heart grow flustered from the statement, even hearing it pound harder, but she tried her best to hide it. She tucked her fingers under the puppy's chin and looked into its eyes; they were indeed the same color, practically identical, like staring into the reflection of a pool.

"Fine," she said finally. "I'll take him."

Peter's smile seemed to radiate happiness. "Thank you," he replied, sounding grateful and joyful. "He'll love you, and I know you'll take good care of him."

"I'll try my best..." Tiger Lily held the puppy around its waist.

Peter then looked away for a moment and poked her pack. "What's in here?"

"My morning catch," Tiger Lily said. Just then she thought of a good idea; and it would benefit the Lost Boys as well.

Holding the puppy in one hand, Tiger Lily reached for her pack from behind her back and opened it with one hand, before pulling out a bundle of two dead birds. Peter admired the birds in awe. "You caught those? And those are the birds that are the hardest to catch..."

Tiger Lily held the bundle out to him. "It's for you," she explained. "Something for you to share with the others." She looked away for a moment. "Think of it as a thank-you gift in return."

"You'd really give those to us?" Peter asked. "Their taste is pretty valuable."

"I have two more in my bag to bring back to the village. Giving you two is worth it enough," Tiger Lily told him. She held them out further, the bundle now pressed against his chest. "Now please, take them."

Peter smiled in disbelief and took the bundle from her, his caloused fingers brushing past hers as he did so. "Thank you, I really mean it."

"Thank you for the puppy," Tiger Lily responded.

Peter then stood up, the bundle now slung over his shoulder. "Also, I have one more thing to tell you," he started. "Can you meet me here, at night, tonight? The other boys will be here too, of course," he added when he noticed Tiger Lily's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Why?" Tiger Lily asked.

"You'll see." Peter turned her back to her and began to walk back off into the trees. He turned to look back at her one last time. "And take good care of the puppy for me."

Tiger Lily nodded, and the teen disappeared back into the thickness of the woods.

* * *

><p>When Tiger Lily returned to the village with two birds and the puppy in hand, the first question she received was from the tribe chieftain, who happened to be by the gate entrance. He looked down at the wolf puppy with curiosity, and then back up at Tiger Lily. "Is this meat that you haven't killed yet?" he asked.<p>

While Tiger Lily would have said yes, she refused to say so. "No," she said.

The chief narrowed his eyes. "Then why have you brought it back?"

"He is not meant to be eaten; he was brought back with me as a friend." Tiger Lily cringed inside at the worry of what may happen if she couldn't keep it.

"A friend?" The chief seemed suspicious. "And who seeks friendship in that of an animal?"

"I would, Chief."

While the chief appeared reluctant, he turned back to Tiger Lily after taking a moment to be deep in thought. "Very well, if you insist; _Tiger Lily_." His voice changed once he spoke her name, but Tiger Lily was unable to detect what emotion he was expressing.

"I have also brought back two birds." She took the bundle with the pair of birds from her pack and showed them to the chieftain, turning them around for him to see. "They are the rare kind that are hard to catch."

The chief took the bundle, and seemed impressed with Tiger Lily's capture. "Well done," was the last thing he said to her before he walked off, keeping the birds for himself. They were, after all, the price to pay for keeping the wolf puppy around.

Tiger Lily kept the puppy in her hut and prepared it a bed beside her own, feeding it a bit of left-over cooked meat and creating a gate entranceway made of thick branches intertwined together, to be placed over the door of the hut so the puppy would not escape and go about bothering others. However, she did dig a hole into the floor so he would do about his business in there.

Even though the puppy escaped a few times, the village grew to love the wolf and named him Midnight. But even if Midnight reciprocated each villager's affection with more, he still always loved Tiger Lily the most.

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><p>Once it was nighttime and all of the villagers had gone to sleep, Tiger Lily snuck out quietly from her hut and out to the entranceway, moving into the woods and heading to the Mermaid's Lagoon. While it was dark out and initially hard to see, her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and she moved her way through the trees and over the bushes.<p>

As she began to approach the lake, Tiger Lily could hear some loud noises which sounded like cheering and rejoicing. The voices were younger, and she assumed quickly that it was the Lost Boys on the banks of the lagoon.

Tiger Lily then stepped out from the grove and showed herself, and all of the Lost Boys quickly turned their attention to her. They all smiled, with the exception of Slightly, who instead frowned, still apparently unsatisfied by Tiger Lily's looks.

"Hey, it's Tiger Lily!" Nibs cried happily, running over to her with all the other boys. Curly took her hands nervously but he gazed into her eyes cheerfully. "It's great to see you!" The Twins went around Tiger Lily, touching her belt and feeling the fabric of her dress curiously, although she tried her best to pay it no mind. Tootles just grinned and blushed when Tiger Lily smiled back, and Slightly went up sneakily to her side and poked her waist. Tiger Lily smiled, make a quiet giggle, and hesitatingly poked him back, although Slightly seemed more surprised from something else.

"Y-Your waist is a lot smaller than I thought it was," he muttered, but his face was a little red.

"Hey, you came." Peter smiled kindly and looked sternly at the other boys. "And try not to crowd around her like that too much!" The Lost Boys looked down shamefully, although they didn't seem to regret surrounding her either.

As the Lost Boys went back to having their fun by the banks, Tiger Lily walked over to Peter. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"We're gonna have a dance," Peter explained. He showed a large drum that had been carried out and placed closest to the trees. "The Twins will be playing it, they don't like dancing as much."

He looked back to her, smiling again. "But I'm glad you were able to come."

Tiger Lily kept quiet, but inside, her heart was beating a little faster.

Although he seemed reluctant, Peter turned around and faced all the other boys, who were busy fooling around together. "Okay, guys, it's time to start!"

Quick by instinct, the Twins ran over to the drum, and rubbing their hands together, began to bang it. They started with a quick steady beat, not trying to bang it repeatedly without making a pattern. The result was very interesting, and it certainly caught the ears of the other boys.

They began to dance, each standing in their own spot on the beaches and move about in their own way. Some jumped, some waved their arms, some kicked their legs about. But they did seem to be having fun. They continued to do so, as they laughed and cheered, for several minutes.

Tiger Lily wasn't sure how she was supposed to dance, leading her to stand awkwardly to the side with no place to go, and just as they began to dance in pairs once the drum went slower, Nibs ran over to her and took her hand. While he was shorter than her, he put his left hand on her waist and his right hand in hers, placing her left hand on his shoulder, and began to move with her. Tiger Lily was a bit more clumsy and stepped on his feet every so often, but Nibs became determined on teaching her how to dance without stepping on their feet. He coached her and coached her until soon the two were spinning about.

Nibs let go of Tiger Lily's waist and beamed at her brightly. "We did pretty good there," he noted. "You're quite good with proper teaching."

Tiger Lily nodded in response. "You're a good teacher."

Tootles then tapped on Nibs' shoulder and the two began to dance together. When Tiger Lily thought she had done enough dancing for the night already, Slightly approached her quietly. He seemed anxious, and swallowed before speaking to her. "W-Wanna dance?" he asked.

Seeing as she couldn't say no to his offer, Tiger Lily took his hand, putting her other on his shoulder, while he put his other hand reluctantly on her waist and the two began dancing. Slightly seemed less educated in dancing and just kind of went with whatever movement Tiger Lily did.

It was then that Slightly began to speak. "I-I'm sorry for s-saying that to you when we first met," he stuttered quietly. "Y-You know, about you have less curves... I didn't mean that."

Tiger Lily felt happy that Slightly was now apologizing to her. She smiled as sweetly as she could to show him how relieved she was. "It's okay," she told him.

"A-And," Slightly added, "...Y-You actually do have nice curves," he muttered, looking away as his face grew scarlet.

All of a sudden, something tripped Slightly's foot and he stumbled, accidentally pushing Tiger Lily over.

It all happened so fast; in one moment she was dancing with Slightly, and the next moment, she found herself in Peter's arms. He seemed to have caught her from the fall, and without even asking, put his arm around her waist and held her other hand. "Let's dance," he said.

With no need to respond, Tiger Lily tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder and the two danced back and forth. While they would occasionally step on each others feet, their was not too horribly clumsy.

She felt Peter tighten his arm around her waist, pulling her in further, even if she began feeling uncomfortable. Their faces are a bit closer now, and Tiger Lily was wondering how red her cheeks were going to get. His arm was firm and his fingers curled around the side of her stomach, but his hand gently clasped hers as they continued. She could now even feel his breath as he inhaled and exhaled.

"You know," he began to say, his voice low, so the others wouldn't hear him. "They really like you, the boys. More than just like, they love you."

Tiger Lily nodded, her gaze beginning to falter on him.

"And also," he added, leaning in even closer almost as if to whisper in her ear, "they might not be the only ones who feel the same way about you."

Just then the drum stopped, and Peter quickly let go of her, but his green-eyed stare on her was still strong. He then turned back to the other boys, to see that they had brought out something.

It was a set of large bottles, made of glass, brown in color. Tootles jokingly shook one before popping the lid off and downing it. Curly grabbed for another and drank half of it in one gulp. Nibs took one and let the bubbles foam out, and Slightly grabbed two. Even the Twins reached their hands out for one each. After a few minutes or so, they became more wild, loud, laughing crazily and speaking with slurred speech.

It would become evident to Tiger Lily that they were becoming drunk.

Without speaking to her, Peter had gone to get one himself, and soon enough he too was drunk. He would yell out occasionally, sometimes laugh with the other boys, and try to keep his balance when walking around. As Tiger Lily watched in shocked silence, it was clear that this was another side to the Lost Boys she had never seen before.

Peter must have noticed her sitting alone against a tree, and a small light in his dimming eyes glowed as he dragged his feet, approaching her. Tiger Lily expected him to start yelling at her, just as he had with the other boys, telling her it was all her fault, acting as a different person she had never experienced.

But instead of shouting at her in random words like he had with the others, he sat in front of her on his knees and put his hands on hers. When he looked up, Tiger Lily saw tears in his eyes. "A-Alone," he muttered, grasping her hands tighter. "A-All... a-alone."

Emotion can be most easily seen when looking into their eyes. When Tiger Lily stared at the trouble-making, pirate-hated, leader of the Lost Boys, on his knees at his weakest, she saw someone who had been depressed, dejected, miserable, inconsolable, crestfallen, and maybe the worst of all, alone. Who knows how traumatizing his past could have been; it was no secret that those who were originally not from Neverland had most likely been abandoned or abused, so they escaped to the place where you couldn't age. In fact, who knew how traumatizing all the pasts of the Lost Boys were; they may have seemed happier on the outside, but here they were, showing their true emotions, their true feelings.

And while Peter acted adamantly and courageously leading the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily knew that of all people she knew, Peter Pan seemed the loneliest of them all.

Quiet, Tiger Lily took out her other hand and touched her fingertips to his face, beginning to wipe away the tears. Peter looked up at her, even surprised despite his drunkenness, yet he continued to cry. Knowing she couldn't wipe away all of his tears, she reached a hand into his hair and brushed it away gently from his face, and it was if Peter melted in her touch.

And just as a strong gust of wind blew over the banks, Peter let the wind carry him forward and he collapsed on top of Tiger Lily.

As he lay on her, his head in her chest, his warm body against hers, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began crying again, sobbing quietly. She could feel his hot tears streaming over her dress and wetting her skin. His cries were muffled, but he sounded as though he was in despair. His arms were tight around her ribs and it was if he had snuggled in closer to her.

Tiger Lily, with her arms still free, ran one of them through his hair, and petted it gently. His hair was really soft, and she continued to brush her fingers through it lovingly, trying to calm him down. Her other hand went to his back, rubbing down his spine softly, feeling the fabric of his ripped shirt.

The Lost Boys then slowly began to pass out and fall asleep on the ground, soon Peter fell asleep on Tiger Lily, and Tiger Lily found herself falling asleep, caressing him tenderly.

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><p>When Tiger Lily awoke, it was just dawn, and daybreak had yet to come. She found that Peter was still asleep, curled around her body, arms wrapped around her, his head resting on her chest, comforted against the rise and fall of her breathing. She noticed that the other Lost Boys were still asleep too, snoring loudly, and it seemed that they hadn't noticed what had happened with Peter.<p>

In what little light there was, Tiger Lily looked down and observed Peter in the meantime. His face was really quite beautiful, although she wouldn't say so aloud herself. She had most likely noticed before how handsome he was upon meeting him, but she had never truly acknowledged it until now.

As it felt like a good opportunity, Tiger Lily leaned her head forward, planting a soft kiss on his cheek, and waited for him to awake.

It did not take long, as a few seconds later, Peter stirred and blinked open his eyes. He opened his eyes fully and rubbed the sleep out, before sitting up and finding himself face to face with Tiger Lily. Much to his surprise, he blushed and quickly pulled his hands away from her, removing his embrace. He felt his face, where dried tears had left an odd texture on his skin, and he looked embarrassed, his cheeks glowing pink.

"Um... I-I'm sorry about that," he said quickly. He looked back at her. "That, that you had to see that. It was foolish of me to bring those with us. "

Peter looked down downheartedly, and Tiger Lily had never seen him look so sad. He gazed back at her, the two locking eyes, and he bared the same expression of when he was drunk and crying.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked. "Disgusted with us? Think we are desperate idiots with no sense of control? Are you never coming back again because of this?" His voice broke, overcome by sorrow.

Tiger Lily took a while to reply, but she briefly looked down at her own hands, remembering how they had caressed his hair and massaged his back, how he had fallen asleep hugging her and crying softly in her chest.

She held up her hand and reached it out towards Peter's face, much to his surprise, gently stroking his cheek.

"You... looked... so sad," she whispered, looking directly at him, feeling the heat of his face in her fingers.

Peter was about to say something, but he didn't, instead faltering in his words.

Tiger Lily's hand brushed back down and she looked away, not sure what to say. Saying something like that was somewhat embarrassing enough already.

"Tiger Lily." Peter took her hand. "I want you to keep coming to see us. I want you to join in with us on our fun. I... want us to be good friends."

She felt her face redden, perhaps it was the color of a cherry at this point. "Good... friends?" Tiger Lily began remembering the words of the chieftain, strictly ordering every villager about the mischievous Peter Pan who should not be interacted with or be involved with in any sort of possible way. What if she was ever caught by someone from the village, seeing her, Peter, and the Lost Boys together? The punishments could be horrible, like hunting-restricting or village-confining.

But even though she knew it would be bad to get in trouble, at the same time, just seeing this young man looking so desperate, his serious face giving the impression of a determination she couldn't turn down. And besides, there was something about him; something that made Tiger Lily feel as if he deserved a special spot in her heart.

"You should know that this is one of the outcomes of our struggle, and this is how we all really feel. It's what we use as an opportunity to try to forget everything, everything dark that holds us back and weighs us down. So please," he pleaded, "don't see us badly for this, okay?"

Then he let go of her hand and held it out again, just like the second time they met, in which Peter introduced her to shaking hands.

"Friends?" he asked, smiling at her.

When Tiger Lily looked at that hand stretched out to her, she saw a different road, a much different path from what she could ever have expected or anticipated. It was a road of treacherous battles and dangerous consequences, but it was also a road of light-hearted happiness and... good fun. And as she looked back up into Peter's gentle eyes, she could see something more than that.

And knowing she would either love or regret this life-changing decision, she took his hand and shook it, a smile appearing on her face.

"Friends," she replied warmly.

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><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that was the third chapter! I hope you guys liked it, I'm a bit disappointed with it myself but I intend to keep working at it and maybe update it sooner or later... The next chapter will be like a date, I'm certainly looking forward to it myself XD**

**(Also note that I changed up some stuff since I last updated it a few hours ago, it's preventing me from sleeping lol)**

**Any reviews or feedback is greatly appreciated! Advice or tips would really help me out... Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: Windy Days

**Author's Note: Hey guys, got the new chapter out! I'm most happy with this one, I think I just happened to be in a good mood today and it affected the quality of the writing quite nicely ^^ At least, it did for me, I don't know about the people who'll read it... I hope you guys like it, I've really enjoyed writing this story and I can't wait to have that feeling of accomplishment once I finish it...**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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><p>It had been a cold morning. The sky, as per usual, was gray and dark, still covered with clouds as far as the eye could see. While it was usually dry and there was not much rain, besides maybe an occasional shower here and there, the Neverland inhabitants were now noticing that the light breezes were beginning to turn to strong gusts, and the air was starting to grow cool.<p>

A lot of birds still had not returned from the south yet, perhaps still predicting the weather in Neverland, but those that had come back were becoming harder and harder to find, either burrowing deep in some secret nest or hiding in the thick trees, trying to keep warm. As such, hunting birds would be difficult until summer would finally come.

But thankfully, with the lack of birds present, it would mean that the next few days would feel very quiet, the constant chirping and cheeping absent. And Tiger Lily found herself to be rather happy about it.

She had just gone out hunting again, as part of her daily routine, spearing three trouts and one mighty tuna, all four which were now in the process of drying out in her bag. While it was considered smarter to go fishing in warmer weather, Tiger Lily had seen some fish swimming around in the more shallow ends of the rivers and thought that it wouldn't be so bad to bring back some fish during an out-of-place colder season.

At the moment, she was sitting near Mermaid's Lagoon again, still keeping her distance from the water, with her legs bent and her head resting against her knees. It was almost the exact same spot as where she had sat when receiving Midnight the wolf puppy from Peter. Tiger Lily hadn't intentionally thought of sitting there; it was more of where her mind had just wandered and naturally brought her to the very spot.

She sighed, closing her eyes, drinking in the peaceful and tranquil silence and feeling truly at rest. It felt different, with the birds out hiding, with the area finally quiet, with only the sounds of the waterfall in the lagoon and the running water from the nearby rivers. Yet Tiger Lily still felt herself yearning for something.

"BOO!"

Tiger Lily jumped in her spot and instinctively pulled out her tomahawk, ready to fight.

But to her surprise, it appeared that the Lost Boys were stepping out from the thick groves of trees, some with their heads poking out. They eventually came out into the open and came to greet Tiger Lily. They were all full of grins at the sight of her, triumphant that they had managed to fool the stony-tempered huntress.

Tiger Lily found herself lowering her tomahawk and she exhaled with relief, although her heart was still beating quickly and her face felt hot already; to have mistaken the Lost Boys for an enemy not to be trusted was thoughtless of her.

"Good morning, Tiger Lily," Nibs greeted her.

"How was your hunt today?" Tootles asked.

"You smell like fish," one of the Twins noted aloud.

"Do you have fish for us to eat?!" the other demanded.

"Sorry we scared you..." Curly added nervously.

"G-Good morning," Slightly said awkwardly.

Tiger Lily wasn't sure whom to reply to first, but she decided to give it a try.

"Good morning, Nibs," she said to Nibs.

"It was good," she told Tootles.

"I might give you some fish if you'd like," she said to the Twins.

"It's alright," she said to Curly.

"Good morning, Slightly," she told Slightly.

The Lost Boys seemed to be in awe that she responded to all of them, or better yet, responded at all. Perhaps Tiger Lily was becoming more comfortable around them, allowing her to speak up more...

"Guys, you're crowding around her again!"

Peter had been standing behind them the entire time, silently frowning. He looked over them with a stern look, once again.

"Sorry, Peter," the Boys said in unison, sounding apologetic.

"Well you're crowding around her with us too..." Slightly muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" Peter asked darkly.

Slightly crossed his arms and looked away stubbornly. "Nothing."

"Why are you here?" Tiger Lily inquired.

"We're here to see the mermaids," Nibs explained.

Mermaids? Tiger Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, but tried not to distract them too much with her concern. "I see," she responded.

"Why don't you go on ahead to see if they're nearby?" Peter told the Lost Boys, and after hearing his suggestion, they went off to the water, some whispering between themselves as Peter and Tiger Lily were left alone.

Peter sat down beside her, crossing his legs, his knee brushing her ankle softly. "I forgot to say hi to you," he noted, before smiling at her. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied.

He looked out to the Lost Boys, who were each investigating a different side of the water, looking through the surface to see if they could spot a mermaid. Tiger Lily felt herself stiffen as she watched them with him, imagining the worst case scenario in which a mermaid leaped out of the water and lunged for one of the boys, the sounds of snapping teeth and horrified screams being heard.

"Are you okay?" Peter's voice brought her back to reality. "You look tense." A twinge of worry was in his words.

Tiger Lily breathed out and relaxed her muscles again. "I'm fine," she said, trying her to best to not stutter. Peter must have sensed this, but he seemed to try not to pay it too much attention. Instead, he brought it up casually.

"The mermaids won't hurt us," he told her assuredly. "They wouldn't hurt you either."

Tiger Lily hesitated, but her hands tightened around her legs. "How can you be so sure of that?"

"They just won't." Peter stretched back, leaning on his arms, propping up his back as he leaned backwards while keeping his chin up. "They've never hurt us for as long as we've been here."

Tiger Lily was silent, biting her lip.

"Would you come swim too?" he asked, his gaze directing over to her, but it bothered him that he could still easily see her anxiety. "It'd be more fun..."

Tiger Lily gave an uneasy smile. "I don't trust the mermaids," she replied. "And they don't trust me."

"You're sure about that?" Peter asked, sounding a little curious.

"I assure you, the feeling is mutual." And with that, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Is there a certain reason why you're so worried?" Peter sat back up, leaning forward, furrowing his brow as he tried to face her.

Tiger Lily couldn't tell him. "It wouldn't be important for you to know."

Something stirred slightly in him. "Please tell-"

"PETER!" Nibs shouted. "We've found them! They're here!"

He grinned and waved back at them, to show he would be coming, but he quickly looked back at Tiger Lily, frowning again. "You're telling me later," he spoke quietly. And then he rose up, jogging lightly over to the Lost Boys.

* * *

><p>It was interesting to watch what happened next. The Lost Boys went into the water first, clothes on, dog-paddling alongside the mermaids and splashing each other lightly with water, occasionally submerging themselves into the lake. Tiger Lily could feel her jaw tighten with every passing minute, her teeth nearly grinding when the mermaids pulled them down underneath for a few moments.<p>

Eventually the boys got out of the lagoon and wrung the excess water out of their clothes, collapsing onto the grass and laying with their arms stretched out, as if imagining they were basking in the sun.

What bothered Tiger Lily most was the fact that Peter went into the lake alone. He was the only one to undress slightly at all, removing his shirt and shoes, and he waded slowly into the water, carefully watching his steps, as if each little pace could make him fall. She narrowed her eyes, uneased that he wasn't beginning to swim.

Tootles approached her and sat beside her, smiling in greeting. His clothes were still damp and they dripped onto the grass. "The mermaids love Peter," he explained to her, the two watching the lagoon as one of the mermaids held Peter's hands in hers and began to pull him out into the deeper end of the lake. "That's basically their condition; as long as they get to swim with Peter themselves, and as long as he's there, they'll never hurt us."

Tiger Lily watched spitefully as another mermaid wrapped her arms around his waist, keeping his torso affloat. "They have to hold him up because he can't swim," Tootles added. "I wonder sometimes how he's brave enough to do it. After all, when you're in water, you can't swim, and you have to depend on someone, it can be really scary."

"He can't swim?" Tiger Lily asked.

"Nope. It's the only thing he can't do."

The mermaids continued to swarm about Peter, swimming around him, touching his chest and his face and his hair, even sometimes holding onto each of his legs so they could kick them for him to help him float. They were full of smiles, their eyes all lit up, laughing and speaking to him lovingly. Tiger Lily felt as if she was going to burst.

"Are you okay, Tiger Lily?" She looked over to Tootles, who looked worried about her. "You looked really angry for a moment. Is everything alright?"

She was actually surprised with herself; someone whom she had not known for too long was able to read her so easily. Were her emotions from the inside beginning to show themselves so strongly on the outside?

"It's nothing," she assured him.

* * *

><p>The next day was the same as the day before, the weather just as identical. The birds were still gone, although every so often a little cheep could be heard if you went close enough to one of their homes.<p>

Tiger Lily found herself sitting by the lagoon again, for no apparent reason, perhaps to force herself to face her small wrongdoing the day before. She had decided to leave while Peter was still swimming with the mermaids and while the Lost Boys were preoccupied with themselves. Although she had heard them shouting her name countless times on her way back to the village. As such, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

In her defense, Tiger Lily had simply gotten too worried about Peter and the mermaids. It wasn't just the fear of him getting pulled down to the bottom of the lake and killed by the aquatic monsters, but it was something else, something that kept tugging at her heart. She didn't like the feeling and it angered her whenever it happened. Although the only time it had clearly happened was when she was watching him and the mermaids together. She was then overcome by a darker mood for the rest of the day, even as she slept.

Yet she also felt a bit disappointed with herself, as her poor demeanor had led her to become unsuccessful with her hunting; she had attempted to kill the same jackrabbit at least six times and in the end, she could only let it run away. Tiger Lily had never been able to not catch anything at all until now.

Just as she was about to let herself fall into a deep state of depression, Tiger Lily heard a rustle in the trees to her left. They were the same trees in which Peter and the Lost Boys came out of. She normally would have let her hand go to her tomahawk, but somehow, she didn't have the heart too. Instead, she looked away and gazed at the lagoon sadly.

"Nice finding you here again."

A familiar voice spoke out from the trees and Peter stepped out; she could see him out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't feel like she could face him either.

Peter sat down beside her, crossing his legs as he always did, and gazed out into the lagoon with her. But judging from her silence he immediately noticed that there was something amiss.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Tiger Lily was surprised from the concerned tone. She could feel his eyes staring through her, as if trying to look for any sort of answer or response.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, but her words were muffled out due to her mouth being against her bent legs.

Peter was about to respond, but then he decided not too, and resumed staring out in the lake like she did.

Tiger Lily felt as if her heart was breaking itself. She needed to say something back to him, but something weighing her down was preventing her from doing so. Why couldn't she say anything?!

Then she felt a hand begin rubbing her back, pressing along her spine and over the backs of her ribs. She looked up to see that it was Peter's hand, but he continued looking away.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

And with that, he must have been trying to pull her in closer, because next thing she knew, Tiger Lily's head was resting on his shoulder.

His arm went around her waist and held her up against him, even turning his head towards her, his lips touching her hair. Tiger Lily felt him breathe on her, bathing in his warmth as she experienced the comforting heat coming from his neck.

"Can I show you something?" Peter asked, his voice low. "It might cheer you up, if you want to."

Becoming curious, Tiger Lily reluctantly sat back up, her head coming away from his shoulder, his hand coming away from her side. Peter stood up, holding a hand out to her to help her up. She reached out and took it, standing beside him.

"Come." He walked forward, and Tiger Lily followed him, the two approaching the lagoon. Her brow furrowed; even though mermaids weren't visible through the murky water now, they could appear at any time.

"The mermaids won't come if I'm here," Peter told her. He then pointed over to the waterfall. "Have any idea what's behind it?"

Puzzled, Tiger Lily began to wonder. "I-I'm not sure," she said uncertainly.

Peter smiled. "There's a cave back there. Let's go explore it, shall we?"

Tiger Lily nodded. "We'll just walk through the water," Peter added. "It may not look like it, but it's actually pretty shallow from here to there."

Peter then took his shoes off, carrying them in hand, and rolled up his pant legs to his knees and started wading slowly into the water, moving over with short steps over to the tall cascade. Tiger Lily unwillingly came in behind him, holding her boots, still unsure about the mermaids, but she tried not think of it too hard.

Peter managed to make it there quickly enough and waited for her by sitting on one of the rocks closest to the waterfall. His clothes getting lightly sprayed. Tiger Lily began walking over until suddenly her foot slipped on a rock and with a loud splash, she found herself submerged under the water.

Tiger Lily quickly rose out from the water, her hair and dress completely wet, and cleared the water from her eyes, now treading water to keep affloat. She saw Peter's horrified face for one moment, but in the next he seemed to sigh with relief, beginning to laugh.

"You really scared me there!" he called over the loud falling water.

In turn, Tiger Lily pushed the hair away from her face and behind her ears and grinned, giving a happy smile, laughing a little herself. Peter seemed to stop for a moment and study her, his face a bit pink.

Tiger Lily then swam over to the rock and Peter helped her up, hauling her from her wet hands. While she dripped of water, she squeezed some of the water out of her skirt and braid, Peter smiled. "You look like a mess," he joked, to which Tiger Lily wiped some of the water onto his shirt as a comeback.

The two then walked in the cavern behind the waterfall.

It was a massive cave, the walls smooth and without many cracks or scratches. Tiger Lily found herself admiring its impressive beauty. The cave was divided in two from a running river coming down the middle, but it still left a good amount of space on either side. She followed Peter as their steps echoed across the grotto.

While they were mostly silent during this moment, it then led up to a large step on the path, perhaps as tall as Peter himself. He somehow managed to climb it, putting his feet in the crevice footholds, and reached his hand out to Tiger Lily.

She had slightly more trouble, as she was little bit shorter than Peter, and she cut her knee against one of the sharper rocks; muttering an 'ow' under her breath, ignoring the blood running down her shin. But with their hands connected, he was able to pull her up.

Tiger Lily somewhat swung up and into Peter, and his lips accidentally made contact on her neck. His hands were holding her arms, and it was after a few seconds that he pulled his lips away, breaking the little kiss. They were at eye contact now, and Tiger Lily felt her face grow a bit red.

Embarrassed, Peter quickly removed his hands from her arms and turned around, walking straight ahead. Tiger Lily felt it would have been to awkward to thank him, so she stayed silent and continued to follow him.

It was a few moments later that Peter then spoke up. "You know, you never told me why you were so worried about the mermaids."

Tiger Lily flinched, but she could hear the darkness in Peter's voice, as if it was piqued with curiosity and concern. She never thought she would tell him the exact reason why, and she was a little scared too; why Peter wanted to know, she would never know herself.

Breathing in deeply, she then decided she would tell him.

"My father rescued me from the woods when I was a child. I was too young to remember but he named me after the flower he found me under, a tiger lily. He raised me in the Sky Eaters village and trained me as a huntress and warrior in his spare time. He was always usually busy, because he was in fact the chief."

Peter was silent, listening to her story quietly.

"But my father was lonely, and he had no wife with whom he was married," Tiger Lily continued. "He wanted someone to love, so very badly. It soon became apparent that he was becoming desperate and it would soon affect his abilities as our chief. But then," Tiger Lily squeezed her hand, "he found that love he wanted. And he found it with the mermaids."

She bit her lip, not wanting to tell more, but she was already this deep into the story.

"He met the mermaids one day after a hunting trip and became entranced by their beauty. They were kind and sweet to him, always flirting with him. He fell in love with them. One of them in particular promised him that she reciprocated his feelings. She told him that a kiss with the man she loved would turn her into a human, and then they could live in the village and be together."

Peter kept walking ahead, but she could tell he was paying attention intently.

"That didn't happen."

Tiger Lily swallowed, feeling a tear well up in her eye but she wiped it away quickly. "Just when he was about to kiss her, the mermaid opened her jaws, revealing her jagged teeth, and sunk them into his shoulder. He yowled in pain, but she held a clawed hand over his mouth. The other mermaids rose too, digging their fanged mouths into his limbs; his sides, his legs, his arms, anything they could grab. They began pulling him down as his blood permeated the lake, spilling into the rivers and down the streams. As they began to submerge him, he began to cry, to wail from the pain of being betrayed by the ones he loved, instead being turned into their meal as he was dragged down to the depths of the lagoon."

Peter suddenly stopped walking, and Tiger Lily stopped as well, but she kept talking. "That's why I'm worried about the mermaids," she told him. "That's why I'm more than worried, I hate the mermaids. I've seen them kill and I've seen them destroy. I've seen how they tear out their prey's body until they are nothing but flesh and bone. I've seen them feast like the true monsters they are. Because I've seen them ravage my father to nothing but chunks and pieces..."

Tiger Lily stepped up close behind Peter. "And because I don't want to see the same happen to you."

Peter didn't talk. He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at her. Tiger Lily wiped away what tears were present, hoping he wouldn't see. The bleeding in her knee had stopped, and the blood had pooled down on the top of her foot.

But when he did turn around, Tiger Lily was surprised. His face was blank, chalky white, but it was clear that he had been shocked from the horrible story. When he looked at her, his eyes were full of sadness and sympathy, and Tiger Lily quickly looked away.

"I'll walk you back."

Peter took Tiger Lily's hand and walked her back through the cave, back towards the waterfall. She tried not to wince from the hurting cut in her knee while they moved. They clambered down the big step and went out into the open from behind the cascade, and Peter still held it as they walked through the water, carefully evading the fallen rock that Tiger Lily had tripped over.

Peter then quickly pushed her away, his hands going to his mouth. He turned around over a bush and began to gag over it. He retched heavily over it, the ejected matter from his stomach spilling its contents over the little branches and leaves. Peter then began to cough, as if he had just breathed in the scent of his own vomit.

He went over to the lake to wash his mouth out.

Tiger Lily instantly felt guilty. Perhaps she shouldn't have described the death of her father in such graphic detail. She didn't think it would have made him feel so uneasy like this.

She looked over to one of the herbs by the trees, and remembered being introduced to it from her father. The memory stung slightly, but she picked off the green leaves and gathered them tightly in her palm.

Peter stooped over the lake, breathing heavily, and Tiger Lily approached him. She reached down and showed him the herbs. "Eat these," she told him. "They'll get rid of the stench in your breath and clean out your mouth."

Peter looked up at her, his eyes watering slightly, and then back at the herbs, which he took and put in his mouth, chewing them slowly. After a few chews, he then swallowed them, and breathed out, relieved, his breath tasting subtly like mint.

He then went back over to the places where they had sat before and sat down, crossing his legs as he always did, but he had a hand on his stomach. Tiger Lily followed him and sat down to his right, leaning against her legs with her arms wrapped around them.

After a short silence, Peter spoke up. "I-I'm sorry," he managed to say.

Tiger Lily shook her head to show it was no problem. "It's alright," she replied, "I threw up too when I saw it, so I know how you feel."

"No, not that," Peter blurted out. "I'm sorry about your father. I'm sorry that he was killed and betrayed that way. I'm sorry that you had to see him die so horribly, and, and..." He faced her abruptly. "It's unfair to you to know what that feels like at all."

Tiger Lily was surprised, and seeing the young man's expression in such pain, she felt a little happy to know that he felt that way about her. She smiled a little.

"It's not your fault," she said, reaching her hand out to stroke his hair comfortingly, almost like a petting motion. Peter was surprised by her action and blushed, looking at the ground, but he seemed to calm down as she brushed through his straight, soft locks.

"And besides," she added, removing her hand from his head, now no longer smiling but looking a bit sad, "you have an idea of what it feels like to lose a loved one too, right?"

Peter hesitated, still looking down, but then he looked up at her. "Do you have a mother?" he asked, even though it seemed odd to ask that sort of question after hearing about her lonely father.

Tiger Lily shook her head. "No. And even if I did, she would probably never remember me."

Peter stopped for a moment as he looked at her, as if studying her again for a second, but then he relaxed and smiled. "I'm actually glad you say that."

Tiger Lily felt her cheeks get hot but she tried to ignore it.

Peter then looked over to her knee and noticed the cut, which was beginning to scar. "I should have noticed that along the way in," he noted, looking at the remnants of dried blood against her shin. He glanced at her again, a more worried glow in his eye. "It doesn't hurt, does it?"

Tiger Lily poked it, feeling a tiny shock of pain, but it didn't make her wince like before. "It should be okay," she responded, although it did hurt slightly when they were walking out of the cave.

Peter narrowed his eyes, as if suspicious of her words. "Well, if you insist."

Peter then leaned forward and kissed the scar lightly, trying not to make it hurt, before then going back up and kissing her lips as the two locked eyes.

It was at first a short kiss, lasting only a few seconds, but when Peter pulled away, Tiger Lily pressed her lips back against his, as if refusing to let such a short moment go to waste. This one was different from the long-lasting peck on the lips; it was instead much more warm and tender, their mouths moving against one anothers. Tiger Lily's eyes were closed as Peter's hand slipped up against her cheek, his fingers going into her hair, his other hand going for her waist. Tiger Lily placed her hand on his shoulder and the kiss became slower and more deep and sensual.

Just as the two pulled back, their foreheads touching, a strong gust of wind blew across the lagoon; so strong, that Peter lost his balance and fell forward.

Tiger Lily fell onto her back on the grass and found Peter on his knees standing over her, his hand still caressing her cheek, his other hand which had been on her side holding him, her hand still resting on his shoulder. The two blushed furiously, but then Peter began to laugh.

"This was almost like how we first met, remember?"

Tiger Lily recalled back to when Peter had followed her and knocked her over, sitting over her legs and taking her pendant from her. It was also like the time when Peter was being chased by a pirate and he fell on top of her. And here they were, yet again.

"Why did you take my necklace, anyway?" Tiger Lily asked, her hand pushing away some of his hair hanging down so she could see his face.

Peter unbent his knees and rolled over to the side, pulling her by the arm to face her, the two lying in front of each other on the grass. "Probably because I just wanted an excuse to follow you," he replied. He then laughed a little, embarrassed. "I know, a stupid reason."

She remembered fighting with her father, arguing with him about always going everyday to see the mermaids, telling him repeatedly that it was dangerous.

_"I love her!" _he had shouted._ "And she love me in return! Why is this such a hard reason for you not to accept?!"_

_"Because it's a stupid reason!" _Tiger Lily had screamed.

Then, gazing at Peter, she grinned, showing her teeth, and pulled herself closer to Peter, her head in his chest.

"That's fine," she said. "I'm okay with stupid reasons..."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that was the fourth chapter! Believe it or not, this chapter was supposed to be a part of the third chapter, so it would have been one big one =_= So I'm glad I decided to split it up, it turned out much nicer... This chapter is long enough anyway.**  
><strong>Anyhow, what do you guys think? I hope the story's starting to come together a bit more...<strong>

**Any reviews or feedback is greatly appreciated! And thanks for the favorites and follow, guys, makes my day even happier ^^ On to the next chapter, coming soon, hopefully tomorrow!**


	5. Chapter 5: Thunder Days

**Author's Note: Here's the fifth chapter guys! I wrote this one a lot faster than I thought I would, so that's a plus; perhaps I'm getting faster at this "writing" thing XD I hope you guys like it, there will be some more information revealed and such... With also the appearance of a new character! And his mother...**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p>It was a darker day than usual. While the days previous had been more overcast, with gray fluffy clouds covering up every inch of the sky, the clouds had instead taken on a much darker color palette, the masses of condensed water vapor turning into the color of dark flint. Every so often, a bit of thunder rumbling could be heard in the distance, but it wasn't too often enough for it to be something to be concerned about. And a lightning storm hadn't come yet in quite the while.<p>

Tiger Lily had just awoken and was shifting out of her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She could tell it was morning from the slight bit more light than last night, and it sounded as if people were moving about outside. Letting out a loud yawn as she stretched her arms and back, Tiger Lily tossed her blanket aside and started getting herself ready.

It was in only a few moments that she arose from her hut, long black braid swinging gracefully in the air, a different darker deerskin dress worn upon her body, signature black crow feather tucked gently into her hair. With her tomahawks and knife at her belt and bag over her shoulder, Tiger Lily began to head off towards the entrance way, preparing for a good morning of hunting and, hopefully, spending time with Peter and the Lost Boys.

Just as she was about to exit the village, a grim voice spoke from behind her. "A moment, please, Tiger Lily."

Tiger Lily stopped and turned around, surprised to see that it was the chieftain standing there. His usual serious and dismal expression stared down at her from his tall stature, his shadowy eyes piercing into hers.

"Yes, sir?"

"Come with me," he said.

The chief turned around, his back facing her, and walked over to the back of the village, Tiger Lily following him. Some of the villagers looked up from their work and over at the two, some beginning to whisper amongst themselves, curiosity piquing their voices.

"About time someone did something about her actions," one muttered.

"She's just trying to forget about the dead chief's loss," another added.

"Well, she doesn't have to by staying out the whole day and then coming back at questionable hours," one sighed.

"She's up to something," one whispered.

Tiger Lily tried her best to ignore the villagers' comments and noted that she was being led to the chief's hut. He went inside and she followed him in, letting the curtain fall down behind her.

The chief's hut was always the most decorated hut in the village. Its walls were covered in blankets and tapestries, the ground layn with thick carpets and mats, to keep it warm. His bed was large and adorned with abundant blankets and cushions, his clothes all stacked and kept in big woven baskets. Tiger Lily felt a twinge of pain as she remembered coming to visit the hut when her father was still alive.

The chief sat down upon one of the cushions and gestured for her to take a seat. He sat down on his calves and placed his palms on his knees, his back straight. Tiger Lily, who was about to sit down cross-legged, quickly rethought for a moment and copied his way of sitting.

"What business do you have with me, sir?" Tiger Lily asked politely.

The chief was silent for a moment, heaving in a great sigh. His head was adorned with braids weaved into a grand hairstyle, embellished with multicolored feathers of rare birds. His face was long and hard, large cheekbones and an impressionably sized nose on it. It was easy to tell that he was growing older, the wrinkles jetting into his dark skin after the hundreds and thousands of years he'd been alive. What annoyed Tiger Lily the most was that he carried a similar appearance to the former chief, one which threatened her and weakened her as well.

"Tiger Lily," the chief began, his tone stony, "the villagers, I myself included, have noticed that you have been too wild as of late. You have been going out hunting all day, but you have been coming back very late with scars and cuts on you."

Tiger Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but she continued to listen.

"As the chief, I need to be able to make sure that you are not out of my control. Thus, I have come up with a way of succeeding at this."

She found herself becoming curious of what consequences he was willing to shove on her. But at the same time, worry was growing within her.

"I have decided that you are to be engaged and married to one of the men of the village," the chief said. "I will have the honor of picking your fiance, and you will serve him as the future wife you are to be. A wedding will be held in the near time future, and a long life of servitude and commitment will start for you from then on."

Tiger Lily felt herself stiffen. Her jaw tightened and her hands balled up into fists. She had thought that the punishment would be less demanding, such as staying in the village to help with hut work, or only going hunting once a week. But marriage hadn't been expected.

"And not only that, but it will teach you to straighten out your unrestrained and disorderly ambitions and show you that you serve a different duty in this village than you do outside of it."

Tiger Lily forced herself not to shake, the stare of the chief boring a hole through her.

"A-And who is the man with whom I shall be married to?" she finally asked.

The chief's presence remained the same, unchanging. "After a good deal of considering, I have chosen one of the elders' children," he said. "You will be married to the child of Aunt Agda, Giant."

Tiger Lily almost wanted to throw up. Giant was an oaf of a man who was messy, loud, and enormous in size. Out of all of the men in the village, Giant was the worst possible fiancee that could have been made.

"Now that this has been told to you, the wedding celebration will be arranged soon, and as of now, you are to go serve Giant and his mother. They should be waiting outside at this very moment."

Tiger Lily looked up reluctantly, her eyes becoming dark. "Do I get time to hunt?" she asked slowly, perhaps her final question.

The chief moved his head to the side slightly. "That is something your fiance will decide."

Tiger Lily immediately stood up and prepared to leave the hut, her mood changing suddenly. "Did I say that you were excused to leave, Tiger Lily?" The chief's said her name again in that strange way. "I believe that as the chief, only I can control your actions, especially in my very presence."

Tiger Lily didn't sit back down. "You aren't a chief to me," she growled.

"Ah, still mourning over your father, I see?"

Tiger Lily looked back, her eyes glowering. "You are half the man than he ever was!"

"Your father was a fool," the chief responded, his voice more menacing. "He died of his own impulses because he was blinded by a false sense of love. Even you know this."

"That will never change my view of him," Tiger Lily snapped.

The chief sighed. "You really have taken after my brother, haven't you, foolish niece?"

"He was no brother of yours, and you are no family of mine!" she spat.

Then she stomped out of the hut, the curtain getting thrown back behind her violently as dust picked up in her stead.

* * *

><p>For the whole morning and into the afternoon, Tiger Lily spent the rest of the day in the village, busy constructing Giant's hut. As his fiancee, she now had to build his own hut so he could move out of his mother's, and while Giant sat on the sidelines, grunting as he ate a cooked chicken Tiger Lily had prepared earlier, Aunt Agda coached on her every move.<p>

Just as Tiger Lily began tying the wood with the planks she had cut, a heavy foot impeded her in the side and knocked her to the ground, her ribs bruising in seconds.

"You imbecile!" Aunt Agda shouted. "This wood is cut too short! Don't you realize how tall my young man is?! Redo this, right now!"

Tiger Lily began to gather herself back up and returned to work, casting the shorter planks aside and went to collect more logs from outside.

She would split the logs in half down the middle and prepare the planks, going out again to cut down more trees. For the day, she carried around an enormous axe over her shoulder, it weighing down so heavily upon it that she swear it was denting into her muscles.

Finally, after what felt like weeks but which lasted only a few hours, Tiger Lily managed to construct the hut to Aunt Agda's liking. She said it still needed more work, but it would do for now, and ordered her to go off to her hut to take a rest, as she would be needed tomorrow as well.

But before Tiger Lily could enter her hut, a large thick hand grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around, her face meeting a fat slap across her cheek. It was Giant, now holding her up by the collar of her dress. His tiny eyes on his enormous face glared at her intently.

"I need more food," he snarled. He then thrust her onto the ground, kicking her hard again, causing her to turn over on her side. "Go hunt me my dinner."

Tiger Lily forced herself to steady her breathing, and then cursing under her breath, went to get back her tomahawks and knife inside, having had to take them when working on the hut.

* * *

><p>Tiger Lily walked through the trees, carrying two jackrabbits in her sac. She held her tomahawks at either side, ready to catch anything in sight. She winced every time she moved her right knee and her bruised sides made it harder to breathe. Not only that, but she could feel like her cheek was becoming more and more sensitive to anything, even opening her mouth slightly.<p>

The sky was even darker now, and thunder could be heard even clearer now, although it hadn't started raining quite yet. But it was obvious that a lightning storm would pass over Neverland that night.

Suddenly, she began hearing familiar voices as she went around the bushes. They were loud and cheerful, and they sounded somewhat innocent, like young boys. They were moving around, it appeared, she could hear something rustling in the trees ahead.

"Bet you can't get me!"

"Yes I can!"

"Where'd you go, Slightly?"

All of a sudden, a figure tripped and fell out of the tree above, landing right on top of Tiger Lily. She fell on her back and let out a groan as pain spread through her ribcage, while the person who fell yelled "Ow!"

Tiger Lily looked up to see Slightly on her. Leaves were stuck to his hair and clothes. His face furiously turned a bright red and he nervously sat up, his hands accidentally brushing over her ribs. She flinched sharply, Slightly moving his hands away quickly.

"O-Oh, I-I'm so s-sorry!" Slightly quickly got off of Tiger Lily and kneeled beside her. "U-um, are you okay? Please tell me I didn't hurt you!" he asked.

"Slightly, what happened?" Curly's head suddenly popped out from one of the trees, before his expression became shocked and he quickly climbed out of it. He went up behind Slightly and hit him in the head. "Did you just hurt Tiger Lily?!"

The other Lost Boys began gathering out of the trees, standing beside Curly and over Tiger Lily. "Tiger Lily doesn't look like she feels so good," Nibs noted.

"Tiger Lily, do you need help up?" Tootles asked.

The Twins nodded silently in agreement, moving next to her attentively.

"Here, I'll help you up," Slightly said, standing up and holding out his hand to her.

"No, I'll help her up," Curly retaliated, about to shove Slightly to the side.

"No! I was the one who knocked her over in the first place!" Slightly snapped angrily.

Slightly then gestured out his hand, and Tiger Lily reached out for it and took it, sitting up slowly rather than standing, although she winced as she moved her ribs.

"What happened here?"

Tiger Lily and the Lost Boys looked to see Peter Pan jumping down from a tree and jogging over to them. He looked surprised to see Tiger Lily, although he looked a bit distracted by something on her face; she assumed it was the bruise she had gotten a little while ago.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, approaching them.

Tiger Lily nodded, a little smile appearing on her face as she held up her hand with her thumb up, but she winced again, as her bruise made it painful to smile.

"Slightly fell on her," one of the Twins explained in unison.

"But I don't think Slightly would have made that many bruises on her," Tootles added.

"I'm really sorry, Tiger Lily," Slightly said sadly.

"It's okay," Tiger Lily replied, trying not to get her bruise to hurt too much.

"We were just playing around in the trees," Peter told her, as Slightly helped Tiger Lily stand up. He then looked to the Lost Boys. "Get back to your game, you guys."

The Lost Boys reluctantly ran back out, heading off to another part of the woods, Slightly the most quiet.

Peter then gazed at Tiger Lily, his expression stern. "You look badly hurt," he told her. He reached his hand out towards her bruised cheek, and she flinched at his touch as a shock of pain erupted in her face. He inspected it carefully. "What happened to you?" he asked.

Tiger Lily looked away, scratching her hair. "I-It's a long story," she responded. "I just hurt myself along the way here, is all."

Peter's brow furrowed. "You hurt yourself that much while going hunting?"

Tiger Lily nodded, hoping he would take in the lie.

"Where else does it hurt?" he asked, putting a hand on her arm gently and looking over her for any noticeable bruises.

"Just my shoulder and ribs," Tiger Lily said. "And my knee. And my cheek. But it's no big deal," she added quickly. "I'm fine, really."

Peter put each of his hands on either of her arms, looking into her eyes, still seeming worried. "You're sure you're fine? You don't look fine to me."

Tiger Lily nodded. "I promise you, I'm fine."

Peter looked away for a moment, but then he glanced back at her, his hand gliding softly over her other cheek and his fingers brushing into her hair. "You know, you don't have to lie to me, Tiger Lily." His eyes looked meaningful and considerate, his expression becoming more caring. He was genuinely concerned about her.

Tiger Lily blushed, but she stood her ground, trying to not let his romantic gesture weaken her. "Well, I have to lie to you now," she replied slowly, sounding hesitant. "I-I'm sorry."

Peter just sighed, but he still smiled kindly. "If you insist." He leaned forward, kissing her bruised cheek lightly, and let go of her, walking towards where the Boys had gone. Tiger Lily's hand went over to her cheek, not touching it directly; all of a sudden, it didn't hurt so much anymore.

"Come on, follow me," he said, turning back to her for a moment. He then smirked cheekily. "If you claim that you're so alright, then you're gonna have to be able to last in a game of Tree Tag with all of us."

Tiger Lily was a little surprised, but she grinned back, able to smile a little more, despite her hurting cheek. And she ran after him, following him to where the Lost Boys started climbing.

Peter began climbing up a tree, his movements quick and nimble, scaling up its trunk in a mere matter of seconds and crawling up into the thick foliage of its leaves. He made it look so easy that Tiger Lily wondered if she too could climb that quickly. To which her answer was going to be yes.

Determined, she chose a tree nearby and began climbing up, swinging up onto a branch and leaping up into the tree, wincing slightly from her pained knee and shoulder, but she persevered on.

As she clambered up through the leaves, her feet pushing her up with every branch she met, Tiger Lily noticed that the sky was darker than before. The thunder sounded closer than ever. Was it really alright to be playing around in the tall trees when a thunder storm was approaching? She wasn't too keen on the idea so far.

She heard a sound of crackling leaves to her left and she stealthily jumped into an other tree, landing smoothly on a wide branch and climbing up through other branches to get safely to the other side. Tiger Lily then peeked up through the leaves reluctantly to see if she could spot any of them from the outside.

As she looked over the tops of trees, Tiger Lily didn't see any people in particular, but she could see some of the branches moving, as thought people were moving through them. Then she heard some rustling coming her way and she quickly ducked back down into her tree.

Tiger Lily vaulted from branch to branch, coming into contact with one before pushing off to fly to another, doing so repeatedly so she could cover as much ground as possible. Yet she could still somehow hear her pursuer coming after her.

Just when she stopped to take a break, a familiar voice spoke out. "Is someone there?" It sounded like one of the Twins' voices, perhaps Twin 2. Tiger Lily found it shocking to not hear Twin 2's voice coupled with Twin 1's. She stayed perfectly still and perfectly silent, even holding in her breath.

The rustling disappeared for a moment and Tiger Lily spied through the leaves up towards the sky, where she saw Twin 2 walking on the very tree tops. He was hopping through, looking around, searching through the foliage every so often, when Tiger Lily saw something bright flash across the sky and looked in horror at Twin 2 standing dangerously out in the open.

"LOOK OUT!" she shouted.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the tree tops and singed one of the trees nearest to Twin 2. Twin 2 screeched and fell through the branches, until a loud thump echoed on the ground.

"Twin 2!" Tiger Lily jumped down from every branch in sight, trying her best to maneuver around branches in the way as each of her muscles screamed in pain, but she refused to let it distract her, her heart racing fast.

She hit the ground on both feet and saw Twin 2 lying on the ground, breathing fast, his hand to his chest, one of his eyes closed. She scrambled to him quickly, going to his side.

Tiger Lily held his hand in both of hers. "Twin 2!"

Twin 2 turned his neck slightly and looked over at Tiger Lily, a surprised expression on his face. She could feel the tears welling up slightly in her eyes; she had been so afraid...

And once he saw those tears, then Twin 2 began to cry.

Soon enough, all of the Lost Boys, including Peter, gathered around them, and Tiger Lily was unsure of what to do as Twin 2 continued to wail. Nibs then picked him up, putting his head over his shoulder, Twin 1 running to his side.

"Take him back to the cave," Peter ordered, and the Lost Boys began jogging back, himself about to follow them, until he noticed Tiger Lily slowly getting up.

Peter went up to her and brushed his hands gently over her eyes, wiping away her small tears. "Now you really don't look alright," he noted. "Come on, let's go back with them."

Tiger Lily didn't respond. An immense feeling of guilt filled up within her, remembering the moment of Twin 2 nearly getting struck by the lightning and tumbling through the trees. If only she had reacted fast enough and lept out through the trees and dove him out of the way, perhaps getting shocked herself instead...

"It's not your fault," Peter told her.

"I could have saved him," Tiger Lily said forcefully.

"There was nothing you could have done," Peter retaliated firmly. "And besides, he'll be fine."

Tiger Lily stayed silent, but she walked off ahead of Peter, following the faint footsteps of the Lost Boys to their home underground.

* * *

><p>Once at the cave, Tiger Lily and Peter went inside to find Twin 2 still crying. No one could blame him, after all; the poor boy had nearly been struck by lighting. He most likely could have been killed.<p>

The Boys sat around Twin 2, trying to calm him down, but the tears kept flowing from his eyes. Tiger Lily sat behind them and Peter sat near the back as he usually did, observing the scene quietly.

"Stop crying, Twin 2," Tootles told him.

"If you keep crying like that, you're just gonna catch a cold," Slightly added.

But Twin 2 would have none of it. The Lost Boys sighed. "At this point, he'll be wailing until morning," Nibs grumbled.

Tiger Lily kept herself silent as the boys kept trying to stop Twin 2 from crying. Even Twin 1 couldn't do anything. He tried countless times to make Twin 2 laugh and smile with funny jokes or silly gestures, but nothing was working; Twin 2 just kept crying and crying.

Peter then spoke up. "Let's just hope that he calms down once it's time to go to sleep," he said to them. "He'll be tired out by then."

They waited for a few moments, feeling like hours. It was even darker outside, and Peter kept looking over at Tiger Lily. She knew what he was implying. She should be leaving now, but seeing Twin 2 continue to cry kept her planted on the ground there. She would get such a massive beating from Giant, being late with his dinner.

At this point, the Lost Boys were getting frustrated, and started threatening him.

"Twin 2, we'll kick you out of the cave until you stop crying," Curly snapped.

"You'll have to sleep outside all night," Tootles added.

"And you'll be all cold and shivery the entire time," Nibs continued.

"Then once you'll stop crying, we'll bring you back inside, with a promise that you'll stop for real," Slightly muttered.

Tiger Lily had never seen someone at Twin 2's age acting so vulnerable; it was as if she was finally seeing the true colors to how they really were, besides when they had gotten drunk by Mermaid's Lagoon.

While they kept threatening him, Twin 2 then turned around, still sniffling, when he looked at Tiger Lily, who sat dejectedly on the side, staring sadly at the ground, picking at it. He seemed surprised that she was there at all.

He crawled over to her, causing her to look up, but it was clear that her eyes showed her guilt. Twin 2 stopped wailing for a moment, wiping his nose, when he said, "Y-You c-came here too, T-Tiger Lily?"

Tiger Lily was shocked, but she nodded. "Mm-hm..."

Twin 2 then paused, as if remembering what had happened, and then the tears started welling back up again in his eyes.

"I-I'm s-sorry for m-making y-you s-sad, T-Tiger Lily..." Twin 2 began crying again.

Tiger Lily had been angry with herself the entire time, in rage that she hadn't taken responsibility and tried to save Twin 2. But in that moment, she realized that he was apologizing to her for making her worry. And she had never seen anything more adorable in her entire life.

She then placed her hand on Twin 2's head and began stroking his dark brown hair tenderly. Twin 2 looked up to his surprise, to see Tiger Lily smiling so sympathetically and sweetly. He then thrust himself onto her and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"T-Tiger Lily!" he wailed, sobbing through her dress with his head resting on her chest. Tiger Lily, at first taken aback by his action, then just smiled and continued to pet his head lovingly. She then hugged him, her chin resting gently on his shoulder and her arms around his thin body.

"I'm just happy you're alright," she murmured in his ear.

And with that, Twin 2 gradually quieted down in her arms.

The other Lost Boys just looked shocked that Tiger Lily was acting this kind around one of them.

"You looked really cute there for a moment," Slightly blurted out, before covering over his mouth quickly.

"He's right," Nibs said, grinning at her. "Look how cute she is..."

"Just sitting there all curled up with Twin 2," Curly sighed.

"That's adorable," Tootles sighed happily.

Even Twin 1 was starting to get teary-eyed. He too ran to Tiger Lily. "Tiger Lily, hug me too!" he wailed.

Twin 2 looked up from out of her arms and glared angrily at him. "No!" he shouted. "Tiger Lily can only hug ME!"

"NO! I want her to hug me too!" Twin 1 snapped back.

"Hey, stop it, you guys!" Curly went over and tried to stop them two from fighting with each other.

"I've never seen them fight like this before," Tootles said in awe.

Twin 2 unwrapped himself from around Tiger Lily and started trying to throw punches at Twin 1, who did the same in return, if it hadn't been for Curly sitting in between them and blocking their attacks. Tiger Lily just laughed nervously.

Then she remembered how late it was, and she panicked. "I-I have to go," she said quickly, getting her bag back over her shoulder. She waved goodbye to them. "Goodbye."

"Why do you have to go now?" Nibs asked.

"I can go see you out," Slightly suggested.

"I'll see her out." Peter stood up and stepped through the sitting Lost Boys. "Say goodbye to Tiger Lily," he told them.

The Lost Boys waved goodbye to her. "Bye, Tiger Lily!" they said together.

Tiger Lily smiled warmly and waved back. "Bye..."

She and Peter then stepped outside.

Tiger Lily walked over to a close thicket of trees with him, and he stood next to her.

"Alright, well I guess I'll see you later this week?" Peter's questioning tone seemed longing and yearning.

Tiger Lily wanted to say yes, but she remembered her engagement to Giant and stiffened. "I-I don't know," she responded.

Peter put his against the tree she was in front of and looked her in the eye. "Look, did something happen at your village which I don't know about?"

Tiger Lily stared back into his eyes, but then she glanced away. "It's nothing," she told him. "I'm just going to be a little busier there than usual."

"But will you still be able to see us?" His voice had a prick of desire in it, edged with sadness.

Tiger Lily was surprised at his question. Hopefully she'd be able to see him a few times, with Giant sending her out hunting, but it would cut their meetings short.

"Not as much as before."

Peter was quiet for a moment, taking in the information. "Will I still be able to see you?"

His arms went around her waist, pulling her in closer to him, feeling his breath on her face. His eyes looked more in pain now, and it hurt Tiger Lily as much as it hurt him.

"I hope so," she whispered.

As their faces leaned closer, Peter kissed her, Tiger Lily putting her arms around his neck. He then broke away reluctantly, staring into her eyes quietly.

"I love you, you know," he murmured.

Tiger Lily felt her cheeks turn pink, even her bruised one. She wiped away a small tear in her eye as she smiled. "I love you too."

Peter then let go of her, his hands slowly pulling away from her, and he held her hands in his.

"You'll tell me after this, right?" he asked. "The reason why you won't be able to come as much. And the reason why you're injured too."

Tiger Lily sighed, looking down at their two hands, interlaced together. She then gave him a smug smirk, grinning as she did so. "If I live to tell you."

Peter let go and shoved her to the side. "Hey, don't tell me things like that!" he scolded her sternly.

Tiger Lily laughed, rubbing her arm. "Sorry," she said jokingly.

Peter couldn't help but smile at her lightheartedness. He reached over and planted another kiss on her bruised cheek.

"Just come back safe," he requested finally, the sincerity in his voice making Tiger Lily decide she would make a promise to herself; she would come back no matter what to see this young man, no matter what it took, and no matter how much it hurt her.

"I will," she said firmly.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that's the fifth chapter! I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, so I feel fairly satisfied with the results... Note that I usually just write each of these chapters in two-to-three hours and don't review it very much until later on... I should make a habit of editing over it more often XD**

**(Also, I don't remember what Giant's mother's exact name is from the book, but I remember there being a character named Aunt Agda, so I'm just going to call her his mother, whether it be his mother or not)**

**Any reviews or feedback are greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for reading! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6: Warmer Days

**Author's Note: The sixth chapter is out guys! ^^ I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I just had to get lazy with some transitions, but I hope you guys like it! And thanks for the reviews as well! Someone asked for more focus on Peter and Tiger Lily, and the best way I can interpret that into the story is just by adding more romantic moments, so I tried to put it in as many as I could, but hopefully not enough to get anyone annoyed with the cheesiness XD **

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p>At long last, summer was almost coming. With all of the storms having passed and the colder weather going away, it was finally beginning to get a big warmer. While the sun was still out, lots of thick clouds still dotted the sky, occasionally shunning out the sunlight as they passed slowly through the sky. All the rain had mostly gone, and some nice new plants that only grew in the summer were even starting to grow.<p>

It had been a few days, weeks actually - since Tiger Lily had been able to hang around with Peter and the Lost Boys. She had seen them a few times when going out on short hunting trips, but she feared that talking to them would only get her in even more trouble.

Giant and his mother had been especially more strict with Tiger Lily, to the point that even the other villagers were frightened. Whenever Tiger Lily failed to bring back the right meal Giant wanted, Aunt Agda would retrieve a thick leather whip and crack it down over her back, slicing cuts into her back. Giant continued to abuse her physically on a daily basis, usually knocking her to the ground and beating her countless times. It was apparent that even the elders were beginning to become concerned; it would now be a mystery to see if Tiger Lily was even able to live up to her wedding day.

But of course, Tiger Lily did nothing about the pain. She knew better than to fight back against them and she knew better than to give in so quickly. Even when alone in her hut during the nights, she refused to shed a single tear.

While the beatings from her fiance and future mother-in-law were severe and made it more of a pain to move, what pained Tiger Lily the most was that she was far away from Peter. It had been so long since she had been able to speak with him. She hadn't heard a single word from his voice when hearing the Lost Boys going on expeditions together through the Neverwood; it hurt her even more to know that she was probably making him worry.

For the time being, Tiger Lily was powerless to it.

She had thought of escaping and leaving the village many times, wanting so badly to go to the Home Underground and spending time with the Lost Boys. She wondered if she'd ever be able to see them normally again.

But it made things especially difficult with Aunt Agda constantly onto her.

Aunt Agda knew that leaving Tiger Lily in her hut unguarded during the night would lead her to escaping; in fact, ever since the first day they had been married, Aunt Agda had decided it would be best to make certain "sleeping arrangements"; every night, Aunt Agda tied the thickest rope in the village around her ankle, the other end fastened in a heavy knot to a hook on the hut wall, and then confiscated all of her weapons: her tomahawks, her knives, even her bow and arrows, which she used rarely. She then held onto the weapons and only gave them back when Tiger Lily was to go hunting for food.

And when Tiger Lily was outside of the village going hunting, they made another restrictment to guarantee that Tiger Lily wouldn't escape; if she were to stay out longer than a day, she would be followed by search parties until recovered, and would most likely be promised execution. If she stayed out longer than what Giant or Aunt Agda wanted, she would simply be beaten.

Tiger Lily would have been happy to break these rules. She would have broken them weeks ago if she could have. But from being physically abused on a daily basis, she had begun to lose her confidence. She could feel her strength was gradually weakening; simple tasks like walking or carrying had become more and more difficult, and when she would run, she felt a constant jab of pain in her knees. She was starting to become suspicious that the beatings were starting to lead to permanent damage. Her hands were always shaking from their persistant usage, her jaw barely able to tighten from all the slaps she received, her throat always dry when they punished her by giving her no water. Tiger Lily wasn't sure how long she would last now.

And it was on the day of her wedding that she was prepared to break.

The wedding was to be held in the middle of the village. The musicians of the village had been practicing the songs, an enormous feast had been prepared, the land was ready for the big celebration. Aunt Agda went about, making extra preparations to add something more to the wedding.

Tiger Lily knew things were going to go badly when Aunt Agda told her that Giant had requested that she go see him in his hut once she got into her wedding dress. She then handed her a sac with the outfit and ordered her to be there before he got angry, walking off briskly to take care of more plans.

Tiger Lily had already tried on the dress before, and she greatly disliked it; Giant had asked that it be a tight, form-fitting, low cut dress, and when she wore it, she felt humiliated and embarrassed. It was a long-sleeved leather deerskin white wedding dress, the skirt ending short several inches above her knees with a blue and brown hem. Blue embroidery went in a V-neck shape over her chest, and a beaded belt cinched in her waist tautly, a brown medallion stitched to the front. What made the dress stand out, besides its body-hugging fabric and looking rather "suggestive", was the cascading white frilly strings attached to her sleeves, skirt, and body, moving with her as she moved.

Along with it went white and brown leather boots and white and blue frilly earrings, plus a blue and brown headband and white swan feathers. After tying her hair into two braids, Tiger Lily went on to tucking the crow feather on it with the swan ones anyway.

She then walked out of the hut, trying to walk quickly, but the sorry excuse for a skirt pressed uncomfortable against her hips, and along with the bruising to her knees, made it harder to walk. She instantly scowled when she saw the eyes of many villagers, especially the male ones her age, get their attention caught by the wedding dress, and her fists tightened but shook as she paced over to Giant's hut furiously.

Tiger Lily went up to Giant's curtain door and knocked against the hut wall, trying to stay as calm as she could; but she had the rising suspicion that something bad was going to happen once she went inside. Breathing out hard, she prepared herself for the oncoming trouble ahead, ignoring the long stares from the other villagers.

Giant's gruff voice then spoke through the door. "Come in."

Tiger Lily moved the curtain away and stepped inside.

As expected, the hut was dark, as the materials for the wall had been doubled in comparison to most huts, to keep Giant from blinding his eyes, as according to his mother, they were extremely sensitive and needed protection. The hut was also enormous, to benefit Giant's large size, an enormous bed of mats placed on the floor for him to sleep on.

Giant sat on the bed, dressed in his white wedding suit. While it was meant to look handsome on him, he looked even uglier than before. He frowned at her arrival initially, but then a crooked smile grew as he looked at her, up and down.

"You're here." He then patted his lap. "Now sit down."

Tiger Lily could already tell where this was going. "Why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Just sit," he ordered.

"Not until I know why," Tiger Lily replied stubbornly.

Giant glowered intensely at her, but Tiger Lily wouldn't move. She never usually acted like this before, but it was the day of their wedding, and she decided to act aggressively for once. Then, he grinned, showing a row of his crooked teeth.

"We're going to _consummate our marriage_," he growled lowly, "and if you don't come here now, I will beat you to near death."

Tiger Lily's face hardened.

"I would rather bleed than go near you," she snapped. A sudden feeling had overcome her and she realized it soon enough; she realized that she had had enough. She was done with the constant torture, she was done with the constant threatening, and she would not allow herself to stop standing up to it any further. She was determined to set her foot down and never move it, rebelling against his orders and against his requests. Because she was so done with this shit.

A low rumble could be heard in Giant's throat as he glared at her. "Would you rather drown in your own blood?" he threatened, snarling angrily.

Tiger Lily felt her body grow hot with rage. "I'd rather die the worst possible death than marry you. I'd rather be cursed and forsaken and sworn as a monster than marry you. I'd rather be treated like my father as a stupid fool than marry you. And I'd rather be imprisoned and executioned by pirates than marry you. That is how much I hate and despise you, loathe you, and how much I want to retch when I see your face!"

Her face met with a sharp slap and she was knocked to the ground. Tiger Lily was prepared to suffer the normal beating but her heart raced when she saw Giant pull a sharp knife from his shirt.

"I'll kill you," he snarled, and before she could dodge he raked the blade across her side. He held onto her by her shoulder and continued to cut into her body, the blood staining the floor rapidly. Tiger Lily was about to scream, but she bit her tongue with every cut; she would not back down yet. As pain sliced down her body, she then gathered all the strength she could muster and shoved Giant off of her, trying her best to run as she sprinted out of the hut and towards the village entrance way.

While the way out was meant to be closed, Tiger Lily ran out, a trail of blood following her, and the villagers shouted out in surprised silence as she escaped. Her worst fear was hearing Giant tearing out of the hut and chase after her, knife in hand.

Tiger Lily ran as fast as she could; she tried to maneuver through thickets and groves of trees as quickly as possible, but with every leap, she could feel her energy draining. The bruises and newly made cuts were too much, and she could even see her vision getting blurry. But she kept running, refusing to let herself be caught.

If she had been at her top form, she would have come up with the fastest and quickest way to escape, as well as the most confusing way for those who hadn't gone down its trail. She would have hid in a tree and drove her fist over Giant's temple when he wasn't looking. She would have been able to get even farther and farther than any known Sky Eater runner. But now, her skills were worthless and she was running in any direction that she could.

Terrified as she heard the heavy stomps of Giant coming after her, Tiger Lily knew that she couldn't run any more.

She stumbled and collapsed, lying in the middle of the ground, panting and wheezing for breath.

It didn't take long for Giant to catch up, standing at her heels, growling more furiously than ever before. He then laughed, cackling through a ridiculous grin, preparing to kill her there. It had been the first time in her life that Tiger Lily had ever been so scared.

But then something happened.

A mysterious figure shot out of the bushes and pushed Giant into a thick bunch of shrubs. While he lay there confused, the person then pounded their fist into Giant's skull, causing his eyes to roll back into his head, and he went unconscious in seconds.

The figure then picked Tiger Lily up in their arms and started running away.

She found herself in the figure's arms, her head against their chest, her legs dangling as they held up her back and the backs of her knees with each arm. While her eyes weren't open too wide, as they were moving so fast, Tiger Lily looked up to see a familiar face.

"Peter," she whispered.

Peter held Tiger Lily, clutching her tightly to his body, racing through the trees to any place that was far away from Giant, in case if he awoke.

Then, just as they arrived at a certain spot in the forest, Peter stopped abruptly and carried Tiger Lily behind a thicket of trees.

Peter walked slowly to a comfortable grassy spot and set her down on the ground, leaning her back against a tree. She felt some bark chips go into the back of her hair and stick to the fabric of her dress, but she wasn't caring about it at the moment.

Peter then grabbed her shoulders, looking her sharply in the eye. Tiger Lily was shocked to see his face look so angry.

"Where were you?!" he demanded. "We went looking all over for you, for four weeks! What has been happening to you that has made us have to search for you and make us have to worry about you?!"

Tiger Lily didn't know what to say. Her eyes widened to see Peter look so furious with her. Peter's expression softened when Tiger Lily's face became ashamed.

"I-I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Peter suddenly looked pained and hurt, as if now angry with himself. "I'm really sorry, Tiger Lily, I didn't mean to yell at you," he apologized. "It's just been a while, that's all, and I started getting really..." He didn't finish his sentence.

"But besides that, you're bleeding really badly," he said as he carefully touched the areas near to where she had been cut. "Let me bandage you up."

Peter pulled a thick role of bandage out of one of the leather waist packs on his belt and started bandaging a cut around her leg. She had to left her knee up a bit, stretching up her skirt, causing her to blush, but Peter paid it no mind and bound the bandage together with a bit of tape. He did the same with her arms and her other calf, but then he looked at the cut along her left side that had slice through her dress. "It would be bad to bandage over your dress, but I can't let you take it off either," he noted.

Tiger Lily winced as the blood continued to flow out of it. Peter sighed, but his breath was shaky and she could tell he was beginning to panic. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to undress you," he told her. Tiger Lily's face went red instantly, but judging from the massive size of the cut and the speed at which it was bleeding, she knew it had to be done.

Peter moved her and himself into the biggest bush nearby and turned her back to him. "I won't be able to see your front," he said," so don't panic once it's off."  
>Tiger Lily could barely keep calm at what was about to happen but she swallowed down her fear. "Okay," she whimpered.<p>

She unfastened the belt around her waist and pulled the dress up and over her shoulders, exposing her naked back to Peter. Once it was off, her arms instinctively went to cover over her chest, while Peter began to bandage the cut. He wound the roll around her carefully and tried not to make it too bulky or too tight either. He ripped the rest off and secured it.

"Alright, I'm gonna get out of the bush, just put your dress back on," Peter told her, stepping out of the bush awkwardly and turning away so he wouldn't look.

Tiger Lily slowly put her dress on, trying not to pain the cut too much as she stretched her body out, and then fastened the belt back on. She crawled out of the bush, as her legs were hurting a lot. "I'm alright," she said, sitting on her knees quietly on the flat ground.

Peter turned back around and sat down in front of her, pushing her up gently against the tree again. His eyes gazed at her sympathetically as she continued to stare down at the ground.

To tell the truth, Tiger Lily could barely face Peter. He had seen her being chased by her fiance in the woods and was forced to save her, while the entire past few weeks he had been worrying constantly over her well-being and her whereabouts. She had hurt him a great deal with her long disappearance.

"Why do you look so sad?" Peter asked. He slipped his hands into hers and tried to look her in the eyes.

Tiger Lily couldn't make that desired eye contact with the guilt. "I've hurt you," she said under her breath.

"It's fine, alright?" Peter smiled, kind and meaningful. "I'm just so happy to see you." He squeezed her hands reassuringly.

As the two stayed silent, Peter then spoke up again. "I missed you, you know," he murmured.

Tiger Lily remembered her four weeks before the wedding in the village, working hand-to-foot for Giant and Aunt Agda, getting beaten by them both if bringing back something they didn't like or making a mistake in the construction of the hut. She counted back to all the times she could have just escaped and gone to reunite with Peter and the Lost Boys together. All the pain she had endured, which she had declared to never weaken through, couldn't be held back.

Tiger Lily began to shiver and Peter looked up, eyes wide, to see tears streaming down her eyes. Peter glided his hands over her cheeks gently, feeling his palms becoming wet as he used his thumbs to brush away the tears.

"Hey, don't cry," he chided softly, smiling at the sight of seeing Tiger Lily, for once in her life, looking so fragile, delicate, and defenseless. She choked back a sob but kept crying, lamenting for being so happy and so scared to finally be able to see Peter again and to get away from the horrors of her village.

Tiger Lily then thrust herself into Peter's arms, holding tightly around his back, her chin resting on his shoulder, weeping, Peter just wrapped his arms tightly around her, one going over her back, the other over her waist, pressing her up against him. He nuzzled her neck gently with his nose, breathing in her scent and kissing her, his lips against her neck softly. Tiger Lily melted at his touch, her tears still wetting his shirt.

She then pulled back, her arms still on his shoulders, his moving towards her sides. Tiger Lily looked to the ground for a moment, letting some of the tears drip off of her face onto the grass, and Peter just stared silently at her, still smiling.

"I'm s-sorry f-for acting this way," she managed to say carefully.

Peter stayed quiet, but then he pulled her towards him, her right side resting against his chest, her head falling onto his shoulder, her legs lying on the ground. He locked his arms around her, one holding up her back and arms and the other going over and around her waist, cuddling her in a comfy embrace.

He turned his head towards her as he gently kissed her forehead, lightly blowing some of her bangs away, before kissing her full on the lips.

Their lips stayed pressed together for several seconds, pulling away for a short moment, before pressing back together again, Peter beginning to get greedy and hungrily kissing widely over her mouth, prompting Tiger Lily as if she was to fight back, their lips fighting for dominance.

It ended with Peter pulling back, smirking at her as she frowned.

"Did you just try to eat my face?" she asked inquisitively.

Peter grinned. "You have a funny way of putting things."

"It felt like you were trying to eat me," Tiger Lily responded innocently.

Peter laughed and leaned in to rub his nose into her face affectionately. "Oh, you..."

Tiger Lily sighed and nudged her head into his chest, smelling the scent of his shirt, a scent she hadn't smelled in a long time, as weird as it sounded.

"We should get married."

Tiger Lily's eyes widened at Peter's statement. When she looked up to see if he was joking, his expression was hard and determined. He was being completely serious.

"Married...?" Tiger Lily narrowed her eyes and gazed curiously into his eyes.

"Come live with us," he told her. "Me and the boys. You can stay in our cave and you won't need to go back to your village. You'll be with me the whole time and we won't need to go find each other. You can hunt as much as you like and make them smile everyday."

What shocked Tiger Lily the most was that she was finding all of this rather appealing. But she had to face the reality of it; was it really possible?

"And besides, you don't always seem your happiest coming back from there," Peter added. He lightly poked the bandaged cut through the newly made hole in her dress.

"And you haven't told me yet why you had to go away."

Tiger Lily frowned, remembering that she still hadn't told him about her engagement yet. He was bound to be angry with her once she was done.

She pulled out of his grasp, sitting in front of him, now picking nervously at the grass.

"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked just in case.

Peter scowled. "Of course I do! Running into you covered in bruises and cuts once is questionable enough, but finding you again getting chased by an enormous oaf trying to kill you is insane!"

Tiger Lily sighed. "Well, then you'll be very cross about the news."

"What?" Peter asked.

"Four weeks ago, I was punished for being too wild and going hunting constantly, so... I was engaged to another man in the village," Tiger Lily explained quietly. "He and his mother were very hard on me, and they beat me every time I made a mistake."

Peter had this shocked look on his face now, his brow furrowing intensely.

"The wedding was going to be held today," she said firmly. "That's why I'm wearing this stupid dress that my fiance wanted me to wear. I got into an argument with him and he started cutting me with a knife. Then I ran away, fell over, and, you know the rest..."

"YOU WERE ENGAGED?!" Peter seemed to be having trouble taking in the information. "This entire time, you were engaged to someone while still seeing me?"

"Well, that's certainly how things turned out," Tiger Lily responded anxiously. "And technically, I still am engaged, unless the wedding is broken off."

"Why didn't you tell me this four weeks ago?!" Peter demanded.

"Because I knew it wouldn't do you any better to tell you four weeks ago than to have told you now." Tiger Lily stared intensely into his gaze, trying to get through to him.

After a long pause, Peter just sighed heavily. "But then that was your fiance, huh... He looked like a monster. Also explains," he added, looking up and down over Tiger Lily's body, cheeks turning red, "...why you're dressed like that."

Tiger Lily turned red and threw her arms around her, covering herself. "It wasn't my decision!" she snapped, embarrassed.

"N-No, that's not what I'm saying," Peter said quickly. "You look beautiful, really."

Tiger Lily stiffened, looking away. "D-Don't say that," she muttered. "I look ridiculous."

"You don't, I'm not lying!" Peter put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Sure, it's kinda tight, especially around your-" He stopped himself. "Never mind. But it makes you look really pretty..."

Tiger Lily slowly unwrapped her arms from around herself and tugged at the sleeves. She broke into a smile. "I can barely move in this thing..."

Peter stood up, offering a hand down to her. "Come on. We're going back to the cave."

Surprised, Tiger Lily held her hand back. "The cave? I can't stay there, there'd be no place for me!"

"You'll sleep in my room," Peter said firmly, causing Tiger Lily's cheeks to get hot. "Hey, it'd be easier than making the boys stare at you with that tight get-up!" he added irately.

"Hey!" Tiger Lily barked, standing up abruptly, hands formed into fists.

Peter grasped her hand strongly in his and started leading her off to the cave. "Let's just go," he said decisively. Tiger Lily was still angry with his statement, but she began blushing again as she held his hand harder.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the outside of the cave, Tiger Lily felt nervous now, the dress beginning to bother her even more, especially with such younger boys. But Peter was already entering inside, and gulping to prepare herself, reluctantly followed him in.<p>

The Lost Boys were sitting down around the cave floor, not seeming to be doing anything in particular, but when Peter came in, their eyes lit up.

"I brought Tiger Lily back," he announced. "She'll be staying here for the night."

Peter stepped through the boys, leaving Tiger Lily standing before them awkwardly.

They all turned their heads to her.

"Hey, Tiger Li-" Nibs' words were cut off unexpectedly when he saw her.

"Whoa..." Tootles murmured in awe.

"T-Tiger Lily, w-what are you w-wearing...?" Curly asked as he stuttered on his words.

The Twins sat and gazed at her silently, their mouths gaping down.

Suddenly a load of blood shot out of Slightly's nose, much to his surprise, and he turned his head away hastily, his face turning as red as a tomato. Peter frowned in disapproval. "Really, Slightly?" he asked, exasperated.

"Why is your nose bleeding, Slightly?" Twin 1 asked curiously.

"I think it means he's aroused," Tootles explained.

"IT'S NOT BLEEDING!" Slightly shouted furiously, holding at his nose angrily.

Tiger Lily crossed her arms over her stomach nervously. "U-um, hi, guys," she greeted them uneasily, smiling embarrassingly, as the boys began looking over her and all over her body, especially her torso.

_Is it really that tight?_ she wondered in her head, before responding to herself curtly, _Of course it is, you idiot..._

"What does 'arouse' mean?" Twin 2 asked.

* * *

><p>Once it was nighttime, Peter stood up and looked over the Lost Boys. "Okay guys, it's nighttime, so it's about time to go to sleep."<p>

They all moaned sadly, not wanting to go to sleep yet, despite it being so late.

"But wait, where's Tiger Lily going to sleep?" Nibs asked.

"I think she should sleep with us," Twin 1 said shortly. Twin 2 nodded in agreement.

"We'd have to make a bed for her," Curly pointed out.

"Or she could just share with one of us," Tootles noted.

Slightly quickly held his hands over his face, clamping his nose tightly as if imagining something dirty already.

Nibs, who was sitting next to Tiger Lily, sat up closer to her casually and leaned on her, resting his head against her shoulder. Tiger Lily smiled at the gesture, even touching her head to his affectionately for a moment.

"Wow, she smells good too," Nibs murmured softly.

Then Tootles started heading for her, his arms curling around one of hers and pressing himself against it. "Hey, she does," he agreed.

Twin 2 was already getting interested in what was being implied. He leapt out and thrust himself onto Tiger Lily's front, his hands briefly brushing over her chest, causing her to make a surprised squeak-like noise.

"Stop it, you guys!" Peter snapped at them, causing Nibs, Tootles, and Twin 2 to let go of her instinctively.

"She'll be staying with me," he told them firmly, "so you won't get to sleep with her in the same room."

The boys moaned again. "But we want her too..." the trio groaned.

"Well you won't get to," Peter responded.

"I don't see why you get to have her all to yourself," Slightly muttered briskly.

"Yeah, why can't we see her while she sleeps too?" Twin 1 asked.

Peter seemed to shiver at the thought.

"Because I don't trust you guys to be able to contain yourselves when there's a pretty girl in the room!" Peter growled.

"Well we don't trust you either!" Nibs bit back.

"STOP IT, YOU GUYS!" Curly's yell quieted down the cave.

Curly sighed in defeat. "Let's just let Tiger Lily stay with Peter," he told the rest of the Lost Boys. "She'd probably be most comfortable there anyway, and in the end, we'd just be a bother to her."

The boys understood what Curly was saying, and seemed to come silently into agreement.

"Sorry, Tiger Lily," Nibs told her quietly.

"Yeah, me too," Tootles added.

"Us four," the Twins sighed dejectedly.

Slightly didn't respond, but he nodded as he blushed as if in reply.

"Well, I think we can at least give her each a goodnight kiss before we go to bed," Twin 2 spoke up.

"That's a good idea," Tootles mumbled, deep in thought now.

"Guys, I don't think you should do that," Peter interrupted, sounding nervous.

"Why not?" Slightly asked bluntly.

"Yeah, I like that idea, good thinking, Twin 2!" Nibs applauded the young boy.

"How about just a cheek kiss?" Curly suggested.

"It's the thought of you guys giving the kiss that's bothering me!" Peter snapped.

"Then how about she gives the kisses instead?" Curly proposed.

Tiger Lily seemed alright with that idea, and she laughed a little to hear the other boys moan again. Once they were all tucked in their makeshift blanket beds, she then went up to each of them; first kissing Nibs, then Tootles, then Curly, then Slightly, and then Twins 1 and 2, each on the kiss. Nibs rubbing the spot where her lips had touched his face, the Twins turned pink in admiration, Curly's cheeks became a bit red, Tootles smiled back at her, and Slightly just turned red all over again.

Tiger Lily then made a little wave. "Goodnight!" she said sweetly, flashing a smile.

"Goodnight, Tiger Lily!" the Lost Boys said in unison.

They then each snuggled up in their beds and closed their eyes, each with a smile on their face.

Tiger Lily felt her heart beat comfortingly through her chest, before following Peter into his room behind a built wooden door.

Peter's room was about half the size of the main room in the cave, but it still provided enough space for at least four people to sleep in. On one side was a large mat covered with blankets, a basket in the corner seeming to contain clothes, and a box in front of the pillow. A candle sat on top of it, but it wasn't lit at the moment.

Peter led her to the bed and began spreading out the blankets. "The mat itself is actually quite big, I just wind up spreading all it over when I sleep," he explained quietly.

He then rolled onto it, raising up the blanket for her to come in with him.

Her cheeks feeling warm, Tiger Lily crawled under the blanket with him once her boots and headband were off and set to the side. The bed was at a nice hot temperature, as if it didn't take long for it to get warm.

Peter looked at her concernedly. "You look a little cold," he whispered, his eyes motioning to the form-fitting outfit, but there was a teasing tone to his voice.

Tiger Lily stubbornly rolled over and turned her back to him. "Shut up," she muttered back.

Peter's hands then snaked around her sides and pulled her in with her back against his chest. Tiger Lily blushed as his voice whispered into her ear. "You just heated up there," he joked.

While she liked his arms around her, Tiger Lily wouldn't give in to his flirting that easily.

She turned around back to him and stared into his gaze, smiling softly. Her hand reached up into his hair and began massaging through his locks. Peter turned a little pink; he always blushed when she stroked his hair. It was adorable.

Tiger Lily kissed his cheek gently. "You really want to marry me, huh?"

Peter smiled. "How can I not? You're always so cute."

She raised her eyebrow curiously. "Why am I so attractive to you in the first place?"

Peter snorted quietly. "Go look at yourself. You're gorgeous."

Tiger Lily blushed furiously and looked away instinctively. "I-I'm not," she whispered sadly. "I was told from the other children in my village when I was young that I was ugly and only ugly. You're just lying."

"Then they were clearly just jealous of you."

Just when she looked up, Peter kissed her, causing Tiger Lily to start to moving her lips against his soft ones sensually. He cradled her head tenderly, pulling her in closer to him, and Tiger Lily put her arms around him, their foreheads now touching.

Then Peter pulled back, grinning at her quietly.

He then took her hand into his, his other hand on her shoulder. "When this is all over, when your marriage is broken off with your fiance and you can leave your village, would you really marry me?"

Tiger Lily already knew her answer. She had been thinking about it for the longest time.

"Yes."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that was the sixth chapter, you guys! I'm really glad people are visiting this story, it's making my day even happier ^^ I'm also not gonna keep it a secret from you readers that this is actually the second-to-last chapter =_= The last chapter should be coming out tomorrow! It will definitely be the hardest chapter to write XD But of course, I'm willing to write extra bonus chapters (kind of like OVAs in anime) if anyone is interested and/or unsatisfied with the ending I came up with (although I think it's pretty obvious at this point what's going to happen lol). **

**And the tight dress... Go ahead, call me perverted all you like, but it was the only playing card I had left to use, okay?! And besides, I always thought of Giant as a big perv in the first place, so that's what I came up with... **

**Any reviews or feedback are greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for the comments so far as well! **  
><strong>To the next and final chapter! See you guys then ^^<strong>

**(Update 7/9/14: The next chapter will be a bit late guys T_T My week somehow got busier, and writing this fanfic at 1AM has really tipped up my sleeping schedule, so it's been a little hard to write... The next chapter is still a work-in-progress, so I hope you can understand that it will take a while, please forgive me...) **


	7. Chapter 7: Summer Days

**Author's Note: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT GUYS PLEASE FORGIVE ME! This chapter took soooo many days to write, I'm not sure whether it was just me trying to make it perfect or me not wanting to finish it because I enjoyed writing this so much... But damn, this chapter is pretty freaking long, I was worried I'd have to split it in two chapters like I did with chapter 3 and 4, but I'm gonna leave it like so, hope you don't mind... **

**So here it is, the final chapter! **

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Father."<p>

Deep in one of the caves near the Sky Eater village, on a bright summer's day, Tiger Lily stood inside, in its deepest tunnel, in front of a decorated gravestone, embellished in jewels and inked drawings painted upon its rock texture. The cave wasn't completely dark; a large circular hole was sitting on one of the walls to the right of the gravestone, letting in light upon the grave. Ropes and strings woven and braided into the design of a dream catcher were tied over the hole.

Tiger Lily stood before the grave. The skirt of her brown deerskin dress moved softly as wind blew through the cave, lifting up her long braid and shifting the crow feather in her hair. Her eyes settled themselves upon the name engraved into the grave:

CHIEF GREAT BIG LITTLE PANTHER

She smiled, remembering the name of her father fondly.

"It's been so long," Tiger Lily began, her hands held close to her heart thoughtfully. "A lot has happened since I last came here to speak with you..."

She scratched her head nervously. "I know you never listen to what I say now, your soul has most likely moved on," she said, giving an anxious smile. "But if you were to hear my words now, I know you would be so angry with me."

Tiger Lily looked up thoughtfully, sighing. "Where to begin..." She then looked back at the grave, grinning sweetly as she pulled some hair behind her ear. "How I have so much to tell you, Father..."

She then poked her pendant reflectively. "I'll just tell you straight out, then. Father, I fell in love."

Tiger Lily then laughed. "Not someone from the village though. I don't think I could ever fall in love with anyone there. But someone else. His name is Peter Pan."

She smiled sadly. "Remember? He was the one you always warned me about." She then amusingly imitated a gruff voice in an exaggerated fashion.

"Don't go near the one called Peter Pan, Tiger Lily! He is dangerous and he will ruin your life and make it a disaster!" Tiger Lily chuckled, embarrassed of her action.

"But he's different than you thought he was, Father," she continued, returning to her normal voice. "There was something about him that drew me to him, and I just couldn't help myself. He told me that we should get married, and of course I said yes... And just as you might be thinking, this love wouldn't end well if I was still in the village and he was still out in the Neverwood. But I assure you, it ends differently than you think."

Tiger Lily shifted to the side, hands now behind her back.

"Let me tell you what happened a few days ago."

* * *

><p>It was a hotter day, warmer than the days before, and it was only a few days until summertime really began. The birds from the south were starting to come back, the trees were becoming an even more vibrant shade of green than usual, and the sun was shining as bright as a star in the night sky, except with even more heat emanating from its golden rays. The air was more dry and less wet, and the sky was bright blue and perfectly clear, not even a single cloud forming.<p>

Tiger Lily stood a little ways outside of the village entrance, hiding secretively behind a tree. She kept looking in its general direction, watching to see if anyone was entering or exiting at the moment. She was also still in her wedding dress, although surprisingly, the leather deerskin fabric somehow hadn't ripped yet; but that didn't mean it was no longer tight around her body to the point that she flustered most people in sight.

Her heart was beating faster than usual, but she kept telling herself to be strong; it had been several days, perhaps around three to four, since she had escaped from her wedding day and was saved by Peter. She had since been staying with him and the Lost Boys in their underground home; but now, her mission was to return to the village and find a way to break off the marriage before her mother-in-law decided to send more search parties out for her to look around the entire island.

"You sure you're ready?"

Tiger Lily turned around abruptly to see that Peter was there with her. His reddish brown-like hair seemed to shine in the sunlight, his beautiful complection glowing in the light, hypnotic bluish-green eyes staring at her intently. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his pants, and he seemed rather stiff; he must have been concerned about her already.

"You weren't supposed to follow me," Tiger Lily grumbled, but her tone remained serious.

"You know I can't help but worry about you," Peter responded, narrowing his eyes. "Are you certain this is a good idea?"

"If I don't return to the village before this week ends, Aunt Agda will send the entire village to look for me," she told him. "My village specializes in foot tracking; they'd be able to find your cave in less than a day. And I'm not going to let that happen."

"Then you could have gone in two more days or so," Peter muttered sadly.

Tiger Lily shrugged. "Well, better earlier than later."

Peter sighed, putting a hand to his head.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Peter asked exasperatingly.

Tiger Lily quieted, her shoulders moving inward and her hands going behind her back. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually really nervous," she murmured, hands twitching behind her. "They might decide to execute me if I don't manage to call off the engagement..."

Peter grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up against the tree they were standing behind. "Don't say things like that!" he snapped, a pained look on his face. "You're gonna start killing me here..."

Tiger Lily's eyes were wide from his aggressive action, but she understood his pain; if he had been going in there in her place, she would have been just as worried, perhaps worse. She reached her hand out from behind her back and touched his cheek softly, stroking over it gently. "I'll be fine," she whispered reassuringly. "You don't have to worry."

Peter's cheeks turned pink, but he just sighed and took one of his hands off of her shoulder, placing it over her hand on his face and pressing it to his skin.

"I don't believe you," he said quietly. "If you think getting beaten and abused by a fiance and his mother is being fine, then I don't think you'll be okay."  
>Tiger Lily leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, kissing him, pulling away after a few seconds.<p>

"Then you'll have to believe me just this once."

Peter hugged her hard, one arm going around her back, another around her waist, his head on to her shoulder as his nose neared her hair, breathing it in as if he was hoping it wouldn't be the last time he could feel it. Tiger Lily put her arms over his sides, nuzzling his ear affectionately.

"Don't take long, alright?" he asked, pulling back for a second to gaze into her eyes longingly.

Tiger Lily grinned. "I won't, I promise."

Something seemed to stir within him, and with a frustrated groan, his head suddenly went into her chest, forehead against her collarbones. "Gah, I don't trust you now!" he moaned, his voice muffled against her skin.

Tiger Lily just laughed. "Too scared to leave me?"

"Of course I am! You're important to me! I don't want you going in there all by yourself!" Peter sounded stricken with fear.

Normally, she would have brushed him off, as he technically wasn't supposed to be touching her there with his head... But she digressed, and dug her hands along the nape of his neck into his hair smoothly, pulling his head in closer; she could feel his face grow hotter against his chest, but she ignored it, scowling to herself. She kissed his head softly.

"I don't want to leave you either," she said quietly. "But I don't want to risk you or the boys' lives instead. So it has to be done."

Peter looked up, but his eyes were still looking down towards the ground. "If you insist," he sighed.

He then reluctantly let go of her, looking rather dejected as he looked away from her silently.

"I love you," he said under his breath.

Tiger Lily smiled. "I love you too."

She went up to him, her hand reaching out and brushing away some hair in his face, and tenderly kissed his cheek, before then setting off to the village entrance way.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Peter again.

"One more thing," he added. "Um, you're gonna..." he looked over her wedding dress, face turning red, "...bring back more clothes, right...?"

Tiger Lily scowled, disappointed that Peter would ask such a question, especially before she was about to do something essential in order to keep him and the Lost Boys safe, as well as the safety of their relationship together. "You're joking," she responded stiffly.

"W-Well, not really," Peter replied awkwardly.

Tiger Lily sighed before she could snap at him. "Of course I'll be bringing back more clothes," she said in disbelief. "I'll probably be getting rid of some things to make up more space too, like this dress, it's too embarrassing." She ran her hand along her side from the top of her ribs to her hips, feeling the leather fabric cling to her skin.

"Uh, actually..." Peter interrupted.

"What?" she asked.

"I think that you should keep it," he said awkwardly.

Tiger Lily felt her face begin to get hot. "What makes you think that?" she demanded incredulously.

"Now hold on, it's definitely not because you have loads of sex appeal," Peter blurted out, then realizing he had practically said the wrong thing and covered his mouth quickly.

Tiger Lily was certain her face was red now. "W-What?!"

"Just keep the thing," Peter snapped. "It looks good on you and you know it!"

"N-No it doesn't!" Tiger Lily covered herself protectively with her arms and looked away, really embarrassed. "Sh-shut up!"

"Oh, come now," Peter said, smiling a little. "You don't have to admit it out loud, but you should at least be aware of it."

"I'm fully aware of it!" Tiger Lily growled, her face probably the color of a cherry at this point.

She then suddenly felt Peter pat her gently on the head. He smiled at her, looking so sincere that she wanted to melt. "You're the most beautiful thing in the world to me, Tiger Lily," he murmured, "with or without the wedding dress." He kissed her cheek gently, just as she had done to him.

Tiger Lily was becoming so bashful that she wasn't sure what to say. But then she showed a pouting face and looked away shyly. "You're unbelievable."

Peter grinned. "I know."

* * *

><p>Under the watchful eye of Peter, Tiger Lily headed off to the village, worried now about what was to come next. The village gate was wide open, and the usual guards stood right inside the doors, as if waiting for anything to come and go in any time soon. Her heart was pounding even faster now; she usually could have just walked right on through fearlessly, ready to face her punishments with a blank face, but somehow, since staying with Peter and the Lost Boys, she had become more emotional.<p>

Tiger Lily had actually prepared a plan in order to terminate her and Giant's engagement and ultimately leave the village, but now she wasn't so sure about it and was considering of scrapping the whole thing altogether. As for previously mentioning the possibility of execution, it was a real threat that could end up becoming the outcome of returning; she knew how much the elders, especially the chief, disliked her.

Swallowing and trying her best to push down her fear as much as possible, Tiger Lily walked over to the village entrance way and walked through the doors.  
>Just as she had suspected, the village guards standing by immediately turned their spears towards her direction, surrounding her. Another guard from the inside wall called out to the rest of the village. "Chief! We have found Tiger Lily!"<p>

The tension in the whole village raised up instantly and many of the people began gathering in a crowd around her and the guards holding their weapons at her. Most of their eyes were wide in shock, some whispering amongst themselves and others pointing fingers at her while talking in irritated voices.

Then suddenly the crowd parted from the center and from it rose the chief himself, walking tall and mighty, his stature standing out greatly in comparison to the other men. His dark face seemed even darker than usual, and his pace was steady yet heavy, feet seeming to stomp on the ground lightly with ever step. He walked up to them, the guards turning around to Tiger Lily's sides so he could stand before her.

He looked down at her, black eyes staring stonily. Tiger Lily didn't move, her expression non-changing, keeping her calm the best she could.

Just when he was about to speak, Aunt Agda shoved her way out of the crowd and ran at Tiger Lily, full speed. "YOU TRAITOR!" she bellowed, knocking her to the ground and proceeding to kick her violently, her bulky feet ramming repeatedly into her sides and back. Tiger Lily groaned quietly with every kick, but she wouldn't shout in pain; she bit her tongue to keep herself from doing so.

She then picked Tiger Lily up from the collar of her dress, stretching the tight fabric even further, and began slapping her face angrily. The old bruises that had formed on Tiger Lily's cheeks weeks ago from Aunt Agda's beatings were beginning to come back, much to her annoyance.

Before Aunt Agda could sock her in the nose and most likely break it, the chief spoke. "Aunt Agda, I command you to stop," he said firmly.

Aunt Agda wouldn't put her down. "She is a monster!" she shouted. "She broke my rules, and for this she must be punished!" She then raised her hand again, about to slap Tiger Lily extra hard across her cheek.

"I said ENOUGH!" the chief barked.

Taken aback, Aunt Agda then bitterly tossed Tiger Lily to the ground, walking away furiously, the crowd parting around her to avoid getting in a fight with her.

The chief then stepped even closer to Tiger Lily, his long black shadow casting over her. He cracked a dirty smile.

"Welcome back, _Tiger Lily_."

* * *

><p>Tiger Lily was confined to her hut, which, much to her amazement, had not been destroyed from one of Aunt Agda's fits of rage. A wooden door, however, was bolted to the entrance, and was tied down tightly with thick rope to prevent her from escaping. But it wasn't as if she was intending to escape anyway.<p>

Tiger Lily then looked about her, checking to see if anything in her hut had changed. Nothing much had; her bed was the same, her clothes basket was the same, even her bag of weapons was the same. She opened it excitedly to see if her tomahawks and knives had been returned, but became disappointed to see it was empty. Aunt Agda must have kept them confiscated in her own hut. If she was to leave the village alive, she would make sure that she would get her weapons back from her.

Since her clothes were there, Tiger Lily decided to change out of the uncomfortable wedding dress and into one of her other dresses; since being a female in the village, she was only permitted to wear dresses or skirts, much to her distaste, since they were a bit risky to hunt in. She looked through her clothes, choosing a loose-fitting long-sleeved light brown deerskin dress decorated in a blue beaded pattern with a fringe around her skirt, waist, and sleeves, along with a leather belt cinched around her waist. She took off her boots and changed them to comfy brown moccassins, and removed the headband for a different brown one, putting back in her crow feather.

Being rather bored, Tiger Lily picked up the wedding dress and wondered whether to try to tear it apart now with her bare hands or keep it. As much as she hated it, she had been told constantly about how nice she looked in it, especially from Peter. She sighed, agitated; why would a decision over keeping a dress or not be so hard? She then resolved the problem with the simple answer of "dealing with it later"; but for the time being, she folded it neatly and slipped it into her clothing basket with the boots and headband with swan feathers packed on top.

As she had nothing to do, she picked through her clothes basket thoughtfully; even though her father had been renowned as a fierce warrior and stiff leader, having trained Tiger Lily to be able to see spilled blood since she was two, her father had also had this split side to him, in which he constantly spoiled her in pretty dresses and shoes. She hadn't paid much mind to it until now, and she never wore them as often as he would have liked her to, preferring to wear her plainer, less attention-attracting ones than the colorfully dyed lovelier ones embellished in beads and ribbons sitting at the bottom of her basket. Tiger Lily never thought much about clothes, but looking at the ones that she had received as special presents from her father made her feel sad and nostalgic; perhaps she should have worn them more.

Just then, she heard the rope get untied from the door by someone outside, and the door opened slowly, a hand pushing away the curtain. One of the villagers' heads peeked in, looking at her cautiously.

"You have been called to the leader's hut for an audience with the Council of Elders," he told her, pushing away the braids in his eyes. "I am the one sent to escort you there."

"Give me a moment," Tiger Lily requested, to which the man nodded and stood back up outside, right beside the door. She grumbled bitterly; the real fight would begin now. She then folded back her clothes and stacked them into her clothes basket, closing the lid, then walking out of the hut.

The man closed the door behind Tiger Lily, tying it back shut, and then took out another role of rope. "I was ordered to bind your hands," he explained. "It is a rule for convicts sitting before the Council of Elders, and it must be followed." He began to unroll it in preparation. "Face your back to me and hold out your hands behind you."

Tiger Lily reluctantly turned around and showed her hands to him. The man grabbed her wrists and began wrapping the rope around them tightly, tying the ends into a strong knot. Once he was done, he then took her to the chief's hut, walking behind her to make sure she would not run away.

Once they made it there, the man opened up the curtain and motioned her in, coming in behind her.

The chief's hut seemed to have been rearranged for more seating accommodations. Blankets were covering over the floor, pillows lining around the sides, the chief's bed moved and stowed away against one of the walls. The Council of Elders, along with the chief, sat on cushions, although the chief sat on the biggest. To his left was sitting Aunt Agda, and to his right was sitting Giant, who had to lean forward and duck his head down so it wouldn't go through the hut wall. The elders sat in a circle, there being six of them, all older women who had retired from being wives and now spread their wisdom to others.

All eyes turned to Tiger Lily, some scowling at her presence. The man bowed to the chief. "I have brought Tiger Lily, just as you requested, sir."

The chief nodded, acknowledging his service. "That is the only service I needed from you. You may go now."

The man bowed again, and left the hut, curtain flying behind him.

The chief then turned his attention back to Tiger Lily. His facial expression didn't change, but she could see a grim light flicker in his eyes at the sight of her.

"You may sit down in the center of the Council of Elders, _Tiger Lily_."

Tiger Lily passed in between two of the elders in front of her and once positioning herself in the middle of them all, sat down cross-legged. She faced the chief directly, glaring at him, while Aunt Agda and Giant glowered at her at the same time.

"Very well," the chief began, clapping his hands together. "Council of Elders, we are here today to decide the fate of committed huntress and orphaned daughter of former chief, Great Big Little Panther, Tiger Lily. She is charged with the accounts of assaulting her fiance, forcing her important wedding to be postponed, and departing from the village for four days without return. Each elder shall ask questions from witnesses, Aunt Agda and her son Giant, and Tiger Lily herself, to formulate her own opinion on how severe her actions were and how she must face her punishment. Then, if we can, we will hear the testimonies of our two primary witnesses, who will voice in their concerns on her sanction. We shall then come into agreement through systematic voting on our final decision."

"Also," he added," although Aunt Agda is a member of the Council of Elders, for this case, she will not have a place among them and her judgement remains only of that but a witness alongside her son."

"I have a question before we begin," croaked one of the elders.

"Yes?" the chief asked.

"What are the punishments that we can decide on?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to mention them. We can decide on three punishments; firstly, she can face confinement to the village for a year and is not permitted, in any circumstances whatsoever, to leave its walls. Secondly, she can face exile, in which she is banished from the village and is forever forbidden to ever come back again. And thirdly, she can face execution, in which she is killed as a sacrifice to the gods and where we will choose a traditional way of putting her to the death."

Tiger Lily tightened her jaw; she had been right. Execution was a very possible destiny for her now. While her goal was to become exiled, both confinement and getting killed would not do her any justice and would not get the outcome she wanted. In the end, her only true wish was to be with Peter; dying was not an option.

"You may begin asking your questions, Council of Elders," the chief ordered. "We shall start with the closest elder to my left, ending with the closest elder to my right."

The elder closest to his left spoke. "I have a question for Giant, son of Aunt Agda."

Giant turned his head slightly.

"How was it that you were assaulted by the convict?"

The chief looked in his direction. "You are to answer honestly and speak the truth."  
>Giant hesitated. "I called her to my hut so we could consummate our marriage," he muttered. "But she refused and argued with me, and called me a lot of bad things."<p>

"And wasn't there a knife involved?" the elder continued. "According to villager testimonies, the convict was injured severely when arrising from the hut, with cuts all over her body, including along her left side, her calves, and her arms, all fresh and bleeding. If she was the one to have assaulted you, then how come we didn't take into account that she was assaulted as well?"

Giant stiffened, and Aunt Agda shot a death look at the elder, but she ignored it. "That is a good point," another elder noted. "Why was that not taken into consideration?" she looked suspiciously at Aunt Agda.

"May I speak?" the chief asked.

"Of course," the elder said politely.

"It is my firm belief that this case was mainly called out due to Tiger Lily's disappearance," he explained. "The fact that she escaped is all that is important; the reasons behind it are not essential. What matters is that we decide on a way to sentence her appropriately, and not idle into any affairs that have no meaning on whether she deserves to be punished or not."

The elders nodded in agreement, although the ones who had brought attention to the assault seemed less convinced. "Understood," the elder responded.

Tiger Lily glowered strongly at the chief. It didn't surprise her that he would do anything in his power to make sure she suffered well. She spotted a smirk growing on his face, but it was unseen from the others.

"Then how was it that the convict assaulted you?"

Giant narrowed his eyes at Tiger Lily. "She shoved me off of her when I was just holding her down," he admitted shortly.

The elder seemed to think of this. "I see. Then I have no more questions to ask."

The next elder chose not to ask any questions, so it was on to the third one.

"I have a question for our fellow elder, Aunt Agda," she asked.

Aunt Agda stiffened, narrowing her eyes at the elder suspiciously.

"Of course, this could be considered a futile question, but it is a crucial one for my final answer on this case," the elder began. "Yet here it is: why was it that you felt it was necessary to severely beat the convict on a regular basis? Of course," she added, "this question could also apply both to you and to your son."

The chief looked both to Aunt Agda and Giant. "Your answers, witnesses? Aunt Agda, you are to respond first, as the question was asked to you before Giant."

Aunt Agda instantly broke into a laugh. "Indeed!" she snickered. "Truly what a ridiculous question! Aunt Fyre, you were always the type to ask such idiotic inquiries!"

Aunt Fyre, the elder, seemed to harden at Aunt Agda's response. "I believe that doesn't count as an acceptable response, Aunt Agda," she spoke through gritted teeth. "Would you please give a more serious answer?"

Aunt Agda gave an evil smile. "Well isn't it obvious? She is a beast, a wild animal that is in need to be tamed. She spends too much of her time hunting and exploring rather than serving and assisting like the true daughter-in-law she should be. And besides; she is a girl! She should be cooking and sewing and cleaning like the other girls in the village! It's her father's fault for not teaching her to be controlled; and so, that is why I beat her, because if I am to domesticate this sorry excuse of a chief's daughter, then I will do so with drastic measures whenever she makes a mistake I dislike!"

"Don't you dare insult my father!" Tiger Lily shouted, sitting up on her knees and growling angrily at Aunt Agda.

Aunt Agda scowled. "See? Look at what an animal she is! She might as well have been raised by dogs rather than us! The former chief should have just left her abandoned in the woods for someone else to find and discover the true burden she is. Hmph! What a foolish man!"

Tiger Lily lunged forward and managed to clamp her teeth tightly on Aunt Agda's arm, biting down hard. A tiny river of blood flowed out, Aunt Agda staring at her in horror.

"You can say as many bad things as you want about me," Tiger Lily snarled, pulling away, "but if you speak ill of my father one more time, I will see to it that you are-"

"ENOUGH!" A massive hand punched Tiger Lily hard in her stomach. She was tossed over onto her side, looking up through half-opened eyes to see that the chief had hit her. She felt an enormous pain in her stomach and she began to cough viciously, feeling blood in her throat. The elders frowned, trying to hide their shocked reactions of the chief's violence.

"It is against the rules to act violently upon one of the witnesses," the chief said darkly, placing his hand back on his lap. "Keep this in mind, convict, or some privileges will be taken." He smirked evilly. "Like the well-being of your stomach, for instance."

Tiger Lily kept coughing, now seeing blood beginning to fly out of her mouth onto the ground. The chief grimaced. "Now you're staining the carpet," he grumbled. "Perhaps I hit too hard. I'll see to it that it is cleaned once this case is adjourned." He looked over to the elder who had asked the last question.

"You are satisfied with Aunt Agda's answer, yes?"

"Uh, yes," the elder responded, troubled. "...I suppose I am."

"And would you like an answer from Giant?" the chief asked.

"No," the elder said abruptly. "No, no, just Aunt Agda's answer is fine, thank you very much... I, ehrm, have no more questions to ask."

"Very well. On to the next elder."

The next two elders didn't seem to have questions either, so it was on to the last elder. "I have a question for the convict herself, Tiger Lily," the elder said.

Tiger Lily stiffened, then shifting herself up so she would get onto her knees and assume into a comfortable sitting position. She felt more blood well up in her mouth, so she spit extra on the carpet, causing the chief to furrow his brow.

"What exactly were the activities that you were taking part in while escaped from the village and living in the Neverwood?" she asked. "I would also like," she added, "for the reason how you somehow managed to get bandaged in the middle of the forest."

She motioned her hand to the bandages wrapped tightly around Tiger Lily's arms and calves, any silhouette of the bandage around her ribs invisible through her dress. Tiger Lily realized she should have removed them as soon as possible before returning to the village; how she had been so stupid... In her head, she imagined a smaller Tiger Lily slapping herself.

"Do you have an explanation for them?" the elder repeated.

"You are to answer immediately once you are asked, both honestly and truthfully," the chief told her, a threatening and ominous edge to his voice.

Tiger Lily felt herself begin to panic; what was she supposed to say?! Surely she would be executed on the spot if she let it out that she had been with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. She couldn't let that happen; but what was she even supposed to lie about? The elders and the chief would most likely be able to tell if she was lying.

Finally, she decided the only way was to tell the truth; but with a twist.

"I was captured..." she muttered, "...by the Lost Boys."

Tension seemed to rise in great height in the hut at the name of the boys. "You were captured?" the elder demanded. "By the Lost Boys themselves? Even including their leader, the infamous Peter Pan?"

Tiger Lily nodded quietly. "Yes."

"But that's impossible!" the elder exclaimed. "They are to never approach our territory! They have been warned in the past! Unless," she paused, looking over to Tiger Lily, "unless if you crossed the borderline that was set."

Tiger Lily had her head down, hoping they would buy it. "I was still being chased by Giant," she admitted, "when I was running out of the village. When I tripped and fell, his head hit a branch and he passed out. I was desperate, and I needed to get away as quickly as possible, so I walked as far as I could until I made it near the border. Something found me, hit me in the back of the head, and I woke up in their hideaway."

The chief looked over to Giant. "You remember your head getting hit by a branch?"

Tiger Lily would have crossed her fingers if she could have, but the elders would have noticed, so she prayed silently but as hard as she could that Giant suffered from amnesia, and forgot that he had been shoved into a bush and knocked out by Peter. Please don't remember, please don't remember, please don't remember, please don't remember! She was practically screaming inside.

Giant rested a chin on his fist, seeming to think intently as his tiny little eyes seemed to bore a hole through Tiger Lily. As he continued to ponder, she could feel her heart beating even faster than the moment before she had returned to the village.

Finally he sighed. "I think so."

And that was all he said.

Tiger Lily wanted to let out a sigh of relief but she tried to breathe normally as she did before..

"You're certain?" the chief pressed.

Giant nodded, shooting a glare the chief's way. "Of course I am," he snapped.

"Giant!" Aunt Agda scolded. "Don't be rude to the chief!"

The chief returned a dark stare at Giant, then looking suspiciously at Tiger Lily's way, and then back at the elder. "Are you satisfied with the convict's answer?" he asked.

The elder paused. "Well, she still hasn't explained the bandages," she replied flatly. "Even if you were taken prisonner and somehow released, that doesn't show the reason behind why they decided to bind your wounds."

Tiger Lily wasn't sure how to explain that. She hadn't thought of it before.

But right as she was thinking of it, she came up with a brilliant idea. Well, okay, maybe not so brilliant, and it was one of the last lies she could use. In fact, Tiger Lily hadn't wanted to use it, because it lowered her chances of escape even further. But now, she had no choice.

"It's a bit of a tormenting reason," Tiger Lily said quietly, her tone having a tiny bit of a sad twinge to it. "You see, do you know of the flower known as monkshood?"

The entire hut went silent. Then one of the elders spoke up. "Do you mean that rare, pale purple flower that our gatherers extract with cloths wound over their hands? The flower that we use to poison and kill wolves, passed down in traditions for so long that it goes by the other name of 'Wolf's Bane'?"

Tiger Lily cracked a regretful smile. "Yes, that is the one. Unfortunately for me, however, the Lost Boys seemed to have found a large patch of them growing near the borderline. They must have known it was poisonous, because they handled it very carefully."

"What did they do?" the elder asked, blood slowly draining from her face.

Tiger Lily touched one of her bandaged calves softly with one of her bound hands. "They dissected it, and mixed it with another herb, and poured it into my cuts. My death will come soon."

"But that doesn't make any sense," one of the elders interjected. "Symptoms of the monkshood should appear in less than an hour. You would have been long dead before!"

Tiger Lily looked back at them, narrowed eyes. "Don't you remember what I said? They mixed in another herb. And it smelled strongly of sugar and sharp mint."

Then another elder spoke. "That's understandable, then," she murmured. "When a poison is mixed with that herb, a hybrid plant known as mintcane, the effects of the poison on the organism is negated for a few days, but it cannot clean out the toxins. It can also be understood why because it should mean that the victim's timely death will be a long and painful one."

"We should check underneath the bandages to see if she's lying," an elder said.

"That's pointless," Tiger Lily returned, "the poison was slathered into the bandages. While it may not look like it now, any touch from someone else will succumb to it."

"That's true," another elder said quietly. "The extractions from monkshood have no distinctive color."

"What day was it that they infected you?" the elder asking the original question asked.

Tiger Lily concentrated a moment. "Perhaps two days ago," she estimated.

The Council of Elders all frowned. "If we can guess correctly, I'd say the convict has another two or three days left to live," one of them muttered concernedly.

"Mintcane is a powerful herb, after all," another added.

They all murmured in agreement.

Tiger Lily instantly felt triumphant, happy she was able to convince the entire council, but she hid her smirk underneath her blank expression. However, with the lie that she was going to die soon, her chances of escape were dangerously thinner than before.

The chief, seeming to take on a new air, looked back over to the last elder. "Are you satisfied with the convict's answer?"

The elder nodded. "Yes. I have no other questions to ask."

"Very well then." The chief looked over the council, his back straightening. "Now, Council of Elders, we shall listen to the hearings of the witnesses, and their concerns on the convict's final punishment." He turned to Giant. "Giant. What manner of sanction would you most prefer to see for the convict?"

Giant paused for a moment. "I don't want her to be stuck here, that's just boring, you know?" He let out a crooked grin. "So I'm all for her leaving or her dying."

Tiger Lily felt her teeth grind against each other.

"I see, so it's either exile or execution," the chief noted. He turned to Aunt Agda, who clutched at the bite mark in her hand while sitting stiffly as always. "And you, Aunt Agda? What manner of sanction would you most prefer to see?"

Aunt Agda put it shortly and she didn't need to say more.

"I want her dead."

Tiger Lily had predicted that easily.

The chief then looked over the council once more. "Then we have either exile or execution, Council of Elders." He clapped his hands together. "And thus, the voting shall commence now."

Everyone in the room seemed to grow more tense, especially in Tiger Lily's case. Please let it be exile, she prayed. Please, please let it be exile.

"Elders who wish for the convict to be executed, raise your hand," the chief's throat rumbled.

Tiger Lily then looked up to her horror to see four hands raised.

"Majority rules," the chief said, smiling darkly. "I call this audience adjourned, with the conclusion of the convict, Tiger Lily, being executed as a sacrifice to the gods due to her insolence and impulsiveness. As Chief, I have already chosen our execution method; she will be burned to the stake."

Giant and Aunt Agda grinned.

Tiger Lily shivered as the chief looked down over her.

"Tiger Lily," he said loudly. "You are to be burned to the stake tomorrow, midday, in the middle of the village for all to see. You will be offered as a sacrifice to the gods above and we shall chant as the fire is lighted and you are set to burn."

Tiger Lily could feel her hands twitching in her bonds, and her eyes had widened as she stared down at the floor.

She had failed.

Then the chief peered down into her eyes and smirked.

"Have a good last night's rest, _Tiger Lily_."

* * *

><p>All of a sudden, thinking normally felt like a strain.<p>

Tiger Lily lay curled up in her bed in her hut at night, the door tied down tight. She had began to feel very cold, despite the hut walls being quite thick and the door keeping it warm in the room. But she still continued to feel intense chills.

It was most likely normal to feel this way. She had let down the Lost Boys, each and every one of them; Nibs, Tootles, Curly, Slightly, Twin 1 and Twin 2. She would probably never be able to see them again, ever see them having fun and playing together, ever see them running to her, surrounding her each and every time they met. She even missed seeing them being drunk, for god's sake.

But what she felt even worse about was the fact that she had let down Peter. That morning had been the last time she witnessed his smile, his laugh, his charm. She wished with all her heart that she could just feel his arms wrap around her one more time, whispering in her ear and brushing his hands over her face. She kept visualizing his face in her head, picturing his handsome face, beautiful hair, mesmerizing eyes, imagining his upbeat grin which always caught her off guard and made her blush hard. She missed his witty comments, his cheeky smirk, his clever sense of humor, and everything else about him that she loved with everything she had.

And what felt worse was that Tiger Lily had promised him herself that she wouldn't get hurt and she wouldn't get killed; she promised him that she would find a way to resolve the marriage peacefully when the Council of Elders were called to judge her. But she hadn't done that.

And now here she was, shaking in her blankets and quilts, knowing that that very morning had been the last time she would be able to be with them.

Tiger Lily began to feel hot tears stream down her face, and she began to sob. Even if the entire village could hear her, she didn't care. She felt worthless. She was going to die tomorrow and she would never see the one she loved again.

"P-Peter," she choked quietly, her hands covering her mouth with jittery fingers.

Her crying began to soak the pillow her head was resting on, and the tears were dripping off the sides of her face on to the sheet lay down over her bedroll mat. She wiped her eyes and pulled the blankets over her head, trying to shut everything out, trying to make everything disappear.

* * *

><p>The next morning, summer light poured over the Sky Eaters village, casting its glow onto the huts. The clouds were especially bountiful, blocking out the sun occasionally and moving away slowly. While the sunshine on the hut felt warm and pleasant, Tiger Lily could only feel a darkness to it.<p>

Tiger Lily awoke quietly, stifling any sort of yawn. She could feel the tears from last night had dried into her face and stiffened the fabric of her pillow.

Usually, Tiger Lily woke up focused and serious, ready to go out and hunt the best animals she could. Her goal was always the same: to bring back good food that she could cook over a fire in her own time, and eat a delicious and satisfactory meal to end the day nicely.

But this would be a grim morning; as it would be the last day she would ever be conscious.

When Tiger Lily sat up, her hands fell onto her lap. She felt limp all throughout her body, as if she couldn't see the point in moving them efficiently anymore. She no longer wanted to put herself to work; she no longer wanted to make herself feel efficient. It didn't matter any more.

She felt so worthless that she was no longer afraid of dying. It was just this nagging pain which tugged at her heart that made her wish she could have done something different and change what had happened yesterday.

Tiger Lily solemnly crawled out of bed after hearing almost the entire village up and out of their huts. She would have gotten up much earlier if she had the heart to, but she didn't see much point in trying as hard now. She weakly worked her hair into a long loose braid, just as she usually did, sticking her crow feather into the side of her bangs above her ear.

Tiger Lily was about to move over to her clothes basket, until she noticed something by her door which she hadn't seen before; a bag. Suddenly curious, she took the bag up and onto her lap, opening it, and feeling around inside of it, before pulling out a dress. It was black, probably made from several ravens, as it was covered in feathers. White swan feathers were decorated on the chest, with a fringe along the skirt's hem. It was also sleeveless, accompanied with a white belt and a white and black headdress of feathers.

Inside the bag came a note with poorly scribbled script; the village lacked in knowing how to write properly. But she read over it, ignoring the spelling mistakes.

_Convict Tiger Lily,_  
><em>You are to wear this gown during the sacrifice as part of the tradition.<em>  
><em>The gods shall marvel at you as your burning corpse is fittably costumed in a robe of feathers.<em>  
><em>Think of it as your funeral dress.<em>

Tiger Lily would have scowled harshly, but she thought nothing of it. It was no surprise that there would be extra rules to the traditions of execution, in which dressing the victim was an appropriate standard.

Undressing, Tiger Lily then somberly slipped into the dress; while it was a little tight around her stomach and up, the skirt was somewhat more loose and flowy, ending an inch or two above her knees. She belted in the dress with the white belt, and then put on the black and white feathered headdress; two white feathers with blue beads on each side fell along the sides of her face by her ears from it. She found a pair of black woven bracelet-like bands with hanging white swan feathers, pulling each band up to the middle of her upper arms.

Tiger Lily sunk to the floor, where she slowly found herself picking at the pearl pendant around her neck, the same necklace that Peter had taken; although when she had asked him why, it had just been an excuse to get her to seek him out. Her fingers traced the fabric of the skirt. For the dress to be made of buckskin and then decorated with so many feathers, perhaps the reason was so the fabric would catch on fire very quickly.

Just as she began to imagine herself burning on a stake, Tiger Lily heard the sound of the door being untied. The door slowly opened, and a head poked through the curtain.

To her hidden surprise and fury, it was the chief, who seemed to be dressed in a shirt and pants with an enormous beaded necklace, different from his vibrantly painted loin cloth and lack of jewelry. He cracked a smile at the sight of her, his dark evil eyes peering more ominously into her than they ever had before.

"Good morning, dear niece," he chuckled. "And my, you found the little gift I left in your hut. You look very beautiful, stunning, in fact. The gods will be so incredibly astounded by your magnificence, and so will the men of the village, who will regret that they had not taken on to you before this very day."

Tiger Lily ignored him, looking to the floor silently, a dismal and unsmiling expression on her face.

"A hard night sleeping, I see? Well, that won't be a problem. Now, my lovely convict, my only request of you is that you undo that pretty braid of yours." He furrowed his brow as a smirk grew on his face. "The fire would only spread slowly if you wear about you such a hairstyle."

She would have snapped back at him in a sharp tone or refused him outright, but instead, she pulled out her braid, her thick hair now down, the length reaching the top of her ribs.

"Now come along, please." The chief stuck his head back outside, and Tiger Lily got onto her knees and followed him stiffly.

The execution must have been prepared that morning. From a pile of cut up trees stood a tall log, the stake, the place where Tiger Lily would be tied, and the tree pile would be lighted on fire, and the fire would spread up the stake and up to her. It was a mighty sight, located in the very center of the courtyard-like area of the village, for all and every villager to see. Many wives and their children sat gathered outside of their huts and around the large structure, including many men and warriors who stood in various places around the village.

Many heads turned to Tiger Lily when they saw her arise from her tent, her dress of raven and swan feathers making her stand out in stark comparison to the brown outfits that surrounded her. The chief made his way over to the stake, his braided up-do which he only wore on special occasions having been styled on his head, making him seem even more taller than the others. Tiger Lily followed him, many eyes looking to her.

Her ear heard a conversation between a young boy and his mother. "Mama," the boy said aloud, "why is that girl being taken to the big log?"

"It's a special tradition, son," the mother said quietly, trying to hush him. "She is going to be offered as a sacrifice to the gods."

"She's going to die?!" the boy demanded loudly. "But that's not fair! Why would you kill such a pretty girl so she can be given to gods?"

"Quiet!" the mother snapped, cupping a hand over his mouth and waving her index finger at him disapprovingly.

The boy's voice reminded her of the Lost Boys; Tiger Lily's heart somehow hurt even more.

Once taken to the stake, a pair of men escorted her up the pile of cut trees carefully. They had her stand on a thick tree, and then pushed her firmly against the stake. One of the men took out a long coil of rope and began tying it around her and the tree, while the other one held her shoulder down so she wouldn't try to move.

The tightness of the rope grew more taut and taut with every time the rope held her back against the tree. The rope also went lower and lower, wrapping around from her shoulders to her stomach to her knees and eventually to her ankles. It wasn't too tight to make her not be able to breathe comfortably, but it was tight enough to ensure that there was no way she was to escape.

After they finished and tied the rope on the other side, the men walked down the pile of trees. The chief nodded to them and they stood by; he then handed one of them a rock of flint and a rock of steel, the other man a char cloth and a piece of tinder. The crowd went completely silent.

The pieces were stuck, and a hot red spark flew into the air. one of the men tossed the burning flame into the pile, and before the village knew it, the wood was set on fire.

The crowd roared as the flame spread, the sound of the blaze lighting each and every little log. The villagers began to stand back further, some shielding their children to prevent them from getting burned. Thick smoke began rising up into the air, swirling around Tiger Lily as it went up higher and higher.

Tiger Lily's eyes began to sting and water from the smoke, and she tried to keep them closed. The inferno-like heat was growing in size near her feet, and she was beginning to worry. The tribal drummers stationed nearby were beginning to beat their instruments, playing a ritual song and began to sing in unison.

_Guess this is it_, Tiger Lily thought, coughing as the smoke went into her mouth. _All I have to do is close my eyes and wait for the pain to take me. And then it will all be over_.

But with the tugging still pulling at her heart, she also felt a tear drip down the side of her cheek. She was on the verge of sobbing as images began flashing in her head of being with Peter and having fun with the Lost Boys. She remembered her necklace getting taken in the middle of a lightning storm, meeting the Lost Boys after getting knocked out by a pirate and saved by Peter, being given the wolf puppy Midnight (who knows where he was now), sharing her first kiss with Peter, crying in his arms after running away, cuddling against him safely in his bed... No, it was too much now. Too much.

And suddenly, just as she felt her foot twitch as a flame singed her toe, the noise all stopped.

Tiger Lily opened her eyes slowly, wondering what was happening, and then let out a gasp when she saw what had happened in the last few seconds.

To her shock, before the pile of wood which the stake sat upon, was the chief, being held down on his knees with a knife to his throat, by none other than Peter himself. He stood out among the villagers, reddish brown hair shining in the sunlight, his bluish green eyes piercing through his threatening gaze. She looked around more, to see that the Lost Boys were gathering over the walls of the village, weapons in hand.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Peter shouted. "IF YOU DO-" he held the blade up even closer to underneath the chief's chin, pulling him up by the hair, "YOUR CHIEF IS JUST AS GOOD AS DEAD!"

A horrified swarm of whispers echoed across the villagers as they stared in terror at their chief being caught by a teenage boy. "Chief!" one of them shouted, but Peter pushed the blade up even closer to his neck, shutting him up instantly.

"Peter..." Tiger Lily murmured, still in awe. She felt as if the life she had begun to lose from her oncoming death was starting to flow back into her, as if there was still a chance of being free.

Peter looked over to Curly and Tootles, both whose positions flanked the stake from their perches up on the walls, and nodded to them, as if giving them a signal. Tiger Lily noticed that they both each carried massive buckets in their arms. The two leaped down courageously from the walls and tossed the buckets' contents on to the fire; and Tiger Lily felt the edge of her foot get splashed with a bit of liquid. It was water.

Although the flames were startled but not completely quenched, Curly and Tootles used the moment wisely and ran up the pile of wood quickly to Tiger Lily.

"You guys," Tiger Lily whispered in shock.

"'Sup, Tiger Lily," Tootles said quickly, pulling a knife from his pocket.

"Good to see you again, Tiger Lily, sorry for the late rescue," Curly added, also taking out a knife.

At the exact same time, the two held their knives up in the air and sliced down on the ropes, cutting them in one vicious swipe. The rope ends instantly fell off of Tiger Lily and the stake, but they fell onto the pile of wood, the fire beginning to start again soon. Just when she was free, Curly grabbed her hand and led her down the wood logs, Tootles close behind.

Two guards by the sides then tackled them, spears in hand, but Tootles rammed into them, managing to knock them aside. He grabbed one of their spears and began fighting back with another guard, sparring impressively with him.

Tiger Lily looked over the village in haste to see that the villagers had gone wild, women and children fleeing to their huts while loads of male warriors began fighting the Lost Boys. She watched Slightly haul one warrior over his back and tossing him over his shoulder, before pinning another one down. Nibs somehow carried an enormous club, which he smacked into oncoming warriors, aiming for the head, stomach, or groin, a different hit for each opponant. Even Twin 1 and Twin 2 handled themselves extremely well, battling several warriors at the same time with each a pair of knives half the length of their own bodies, occasionally working in a tag team to take out two or three at the same time.

Still in the center, Peter held the chief down with the knife still pointed at his throat, ready to slice if necessary. Tiger Lily suddenly felt herself panic; as much as she hated the chief with a passion and would have preferred him dead over anything else, she couldn't have Peter kill him.

"I need to get to Peter and the chief," she shouted to Curly over the loud war cries.

"It's too dangerous!" Curly yelled back, tugging on her hand with both of his. "I'm supposed to take you back to the cave as quickly as possible! You can't go out there!"

"Curly, please!" Tiger Lily begged, stopping to stare Curly in the eyes with sincerity. "Your survival depends on it."

Curly hesitated, looking pained, but he reluctantly let go. "Peter's gonna kill me for this," he shouted loudly, "but I'll cover for you in the meantime!" He brandished a different weapon, this time wielding a long sword which glinted in the sunlight.

Tiger Lily thanked him, and began to sprint through the crowd, dodging any attacks from warriors before they were hit back by Curly. She could see her way to the two in the middle but it would take a bit of time to get through.

After leaping away from the pointed tips of spears and the bladed edges of tomahawks, Tiger Lily found herself in the middle of fight, standing before Peter and the chief.

Peter looked up, shocked, seeming relieved to see her free from the stake, but surprised of why she was here. "Tiger Lily," he said in awe under his breath.

Tiger Lily showed him a small smile, the true happiness of being able to see him glowing in her eyes, but then she breathed in deeply.

"EVERYONE STOP!"

Somehow, perhaps by a miracle, the Lost Boys and the warriors, who had been deep in combat, turned their attention to the usually quiet Tiger Lily. They looked surprised to see that she was no longer tied to the stake, but instead standing before the chief, who grunted as he was held back by Peter.

Tiger Lily sighed quietly, before approaching the chief calmly.

The chief glared up at her, furious. "You were with them all along, weren't you?" he growled. "I knew you were up to something, leaving every day, bringing back animals when you were truly with these cursed beings!"

Peter held the knife up closer to his neck, pressing the blade lightly into his skin. "Don't you dare, you old bastard!" he snapped.

"Peter!" Peter suddenly looked back to Tiger Lily, astonished by her tone. She looked at him pleadingly, a desperate look about her. "Please," she said quietly, "let me handle this."

Peter hesitated, but he sighed and scowled as the chief glowered at her.

"Dear uncle," Tiger Lily began, speaking directly to the chief, "I request that you have me exiled forever from the Sky Eaters village."

A shocked murmur grew throughout the warriors. Now the Lost Boys were looking up, curiously.

The chief's stare was full of hatred. "Exile?! Ha! I was happy enough to know that you'd be killed today! As if I'd let you go so easily, Tiger Lily. Not until I see you dead!"

Peter stiffened sharply, but he held himself back from stabbing the chief.

Tiger Lily's gaze on the chief didn't change. "I assure you, my dear chief, that you can consider me dead from the day that I leave here permanently. Now please," she began again, "I wish to be exiled from the Sky Eaters village and be forever forbidden to ever enter its walls. You will never have to see me, or hear from me, ever again. Isn't that what you've wanted all along?" she raised an eyebrow.

The chief was silent, a snarl present on his face.

"After all," she added, "I've known since the day of my arrival in this village how much you've despised me. How much you hate seeing the image of the brother you loathed so much growing into me. How much you laugh at my foolish actions and how much you cackle in happiness when I have gone into misery and misfortune. You've always wanted me gone, away from here and this world. And if I'm exiled," she said, crossing her arms, "then I'll be away from here and gone from you world, and you can begin reliving your life peacefully and cheerfully, with my presence eternally absent of your eyes."

After several seconds of silence, the chief finally returned his answer. "Very well then, perfect!" he shouted. "I hereby exile you, Tiger Lily, from the Sky Eaters village. You will come back for your things tomorrow, and after that day, I never want to ever see your filthy, disgusting, putrid, and savage appearance before me ever again! Do I make myself clear?!" he demanded angrily.

Tiger Lily nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good! Now let go of me, scum!" The chief brushed Peter off violently, much to his rage, and stalked off to his hut.

Tiger Lily sighed with relief, feeling comfort flowing back inside of her again, her heart to her chest. "Phew..."

She suddenly felt Peter's hand take hold of her hand. She looked up to him, having never seen him so happy in her entire life. He smiled, his eyes shining brightly as he squeezed her hand, as if trying to hold back from hugging her tightly in front of the Lost Boys.

And when they went back to the Home Underground, the Lost Boys filtering cheerfully inside, Peter quickly stole a kiss from Tiger Lily when they weren't looking, his soft parted lips pressing deeply against her own for only a few moments. He then pulled back, his arm still on her shoulder, before giving her the same grin that made her heart skip a beat.

"Welcome home, Tiger Lily."

* * *

><p>The next day, Tiger Lily returned on her own to the village to go collect her things. The guards let her pass through solemnly, not looking her in the eye. She headed into her hut, which was soon to be torn down once everything was taken, and found that her bag of weapons had been returned from Aunt Agda, much to her happiness.<p>

She took what she could and gathered them in her arms: her basket full of clothes, her bag of weapons tossed over her shoulder, and her bedroll and mat rolled up, with the blankets folded and stacked on top. It was a lot to carry, but she could bare it.

Tiger Lily walked out of the hut carefully, just when she saw the little boy she had seen yesterday, who had complained to his mother about her sacrifice. He approached her awkwardly, his hands behind his back.

"U-Um," he stammered. "Do you need any help?" he then asked.

Tiger Lily smiled at his kind gesture, making his cheeks turn pink. "No, I am fine, thank you though," she replied.

He then suddenly pointed to Midnight. The little wolf puppy was beginning to follow her back, whining as he couldn't understand what was going on. Tiger Lily saw him run in circles around her feet, confused.

Tiger Lily then got an idea. "Would you please keep my wolf?" she asked him.

The boy turned bright red. "Keep him? But he's yours, isn't he? You were the one who brought him into the village many weeks ago. He would miss you so much if you never come back!"

Tiger Lily didn't like it either, but she remembered the reason why Peter had given her Midnight in the first place; so he could have a safe home.

"He's only a puppy," she told him. "He'll forget me by the time he's grown older. And I know this is a lot to ask for," she added, "but would you take care of him in my place? I can't bring him out into the woods with me, I wouldn't have enough food to feed him or proper shelter to give him... Here, he can be free and happy."

The boy paused, then bending down on his knees, sticking his hand out to Midnight for him to smell. Midnight sniffed his finger briefly, then running into his arms and licking his face with love.

"See, he loves you!" Tiger Lily grinned. "Now, would you take care of him?"

The boy seemed reluctant at first, but then he determinedly held his fist up and saluted her. "Yes!" he responded stoutly.

"Good," Tiger Lily said warmly. She set down her clothes basket and scratched Midnight gently behind the ears. "Goodbye, good friend," she murmured into his ear.

She then picked up her clothes basket and before heading out, turned back to the boy. "Take good care of him for me, okay?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I promise I will!"

* * *

><p>Finally, it was summer time. Everything was bright and covered in sunshine. The plants that grew exclusively during summer were thriving healthily, the grass was a prettier dark shade of green, and the birds were out singing again, chirping and flying through the trees. The sky was always blue and without any clouds at all, and the sun's rays were powerful, but not intense; just a warm light casting over Neverland.<p>

Tiger Lily nervously hid behind one of the trees. She could see Peter standing in one of the fields overlooking the endless sea, waiting for her. She kept pulling back her bangs behind her ears, adjusting the feathers in her headband, pulling her dress over her hips. Her hands were feeling shaky and a surge of adrenaline would run through them every few seconds.

Gosh, she was anxious. But it was just Peter. If anything, she was the most relaxed around him. This couldn't be so hard, right?

Then, breathing in and out carefully, she then stepped out slowly from behind the trees, and out into the open towards Peter.

When Peter turned to her, she felt her heart beat even faster. He was dressed in a foreign black suit, a ribbon-like bow tie around his neck, a white high-collared buttoned shirt underneath his blazer, and black pants, but he wore his regular ragged shoes. The suit must have been something that washed up on the beach, as some random objects from the continents far away were carried out by the sea and on to Neverland's shores. But the suit looked clean and the few rips look as if they had been sewn together with random colored pieces of string. But he still looked so dashing to the point that Tiger Lily felt speechless.

She shakily approached him, walking through the short grass and holding her hands together, looking away when he set his eyes upon her. He smiled, rotating himself to her, his hands stuffed in the blazer's pockets.

"You wore the wedding dress," he noted. "Even if you told me a hundred times you wouldn't?"

"I decided that I would just this once," Tiger Lily responded, scratching her head awkwardly. She then turned bright red, panicking. "D-Does it look weird right now?!"

Peter laughed, and Tiger Lily found herself chucking a little too. His laugh was so gentle and addicting; hearing it made her want to laugh with him too.

"Why should you worry at all?" His fingers brushed over her cheek, her face feeling his hard and calloused hand. "You look amazing."

"Sh-shut up," Tiger Lily muttered, her face becoming hot and her eyes glancing away.

"Oh, you. When will you ever give up?" Peter pat her on top of her head gently, his smile sweet and kind. "And what do you think of this?" he motioned to the outfit. "I believe they call this a 'suit' in some places." He raised an eyebrow and gave a cheeky grin. "Don't I look handsome?"

Tiger Lily wanted to respond, but she was too flustered to give him a compliment. "It looks funny on you," she joked quietly, cracking a little smile.

"Funny? How in the world does this look funny on me?" Peter demanded, furrowing his brow.

"It just... does," Tiger Lily giggled.

"Hey, you know I look good!" Peter snapped, but Tiger Lily just burst out laughing. It must have caught him by surprise, because he turned away slightly, pouting a little as a blush grew on his cheeks.

"So..." Tiger Lily glanced up at Peter. "How do we do this, then?"

Peter itched his chin, thinking for a moment. "Well," he began, "I know that you start like this."

Peter then suddenly bent down and got on one knee, kneeling down before her, much to her astonishment. "And then you do this." And from the pocket in his blazer, he removed something shiny, and held it up for her to see; it was a beautiful silver ring, encrusted with a red gem.

"And then you do this." Peter took a hold of Tiger Lily's hand. He breathed in, as if preparing himself. "And then you say something like this."

He held out the ring, holding it near Tiger Lily's hand. "Tiger Lily, will you marry me?"

Tiger Lily had shared many moments with Peter, like hugging, cuddling, talking, kissing, and many other things. And all of these moments had led up to Tiger Lily blushing from his gestures. But this time it was different. She felt a sudden shortness of breath as her face felt as hot as the fire which had been to burn her when she was tied to the stake for her execution in the village. She stared down at Peter, the beautiful boy who had brought excitement into her love, and the first for her to fall in love with.

A tear suddenly ran down her face. "Yes..."

Peter put the ring on Tiger Lily's finger and then stood back up, before placing his hands on her waist and pulling her in, kissing her softly on the lips. She put her arms around his shoulders as the two continued to kiss, with even Peter's tongue sneakily finding a way near her lips as they began to move their mouths against each other.

Peter then pulled back, smiling as he gazed into her eyes. Tiger Lily put her in head Peter's chest, holding tightly on to him and letting some stray tears drip away or wipe themselves on his blazer. "I love you," she whispered.

And with a happy sigh, Peter put one arm around her shoulders and one arm around her waist, hugging her hard, his head rested on her shoulder.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>"So that's all that happened," Tiger Lily finished, twiddling her thumbs as she paced from side to side in front of her father's grave. "I'm sure you must be beyond furious with me, seeing his daughter go wild and ending up with a man from outside of the village."<p>

She smiled, remembering her and Peter's little marriage ceremony. "And as for the marriage," she added, "it may not seem official to you, but I've got the ring to prove it."

Tiger Lily flaunted the red gem on her finger and showed it to the gravestone enthusiastically. "He said he stole it from the pirates by the beach, I suppose I can believe that, but in the end, they have the best gems anyhow, since they steal so much of it..." She thought back on Peter's handsome suit and kissed the gem for the memory.

"But it looks like that's all I've got to tell you, Father," Tiger Lily said. "Life will be a lot more different for me now, but I know I'll adjust quickly. I have the Lost Boys there, ready to support me as I am to them, just as Peter is there to lead them and let me love him back. I promise with all my heart that I'll look after them, even protect them with my life if I have to."

She then leaned forward and planted a kiss on the gravestone. "Hope you enjoyed the story, Father."

Tiger Lily turned back, walking towards the cave exit. "Love you, Father!" And then she left the cave shortly.

When she came outside, it was sunny and quiet, the perfect combination of summer weather. She let her arms out open and breathed in the fresh air as a breeze ruffled through her dress. Truly a lovely day it was.

Tiger Lily then saw that Peter was waiting for her, sitting on a nearby rock and inspecting his hands with curiosity. He turned to her when he saw her, eyes brightening up, and leaped off the rock, heading towards her.

"Done?" he asked.

Tiger Lily nodded. "Yep. Told him everything in everything. 'Guess we can go back now."

"Took you long enough," Peter grumbled, to which he received a sharp look from his close friend, now wife.

"Hey, just because I'm updating a gravestone about my life doesn't mean I can't take a while when doing it!" Tiger Lily protested. To this, Peter laughed. "What's so funny?"

"The way how you put things is hilarious," he laughed. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in against him, her head falling to his shoulder. She felt her cheeks get a bit warm against the skin on his arm.

"You still blush when I hug you?" Peter asked.

Her cheeks reddened further. "O-Of course I do!" Tiger Lily stuttered. "It's just, the way you do it sometimes! It catches me off guard..."

"Like this?" Peter lowered his hand to her waist and tickled her side with the tips of his fingers. Tiger Lily leaped up in surprise and quickly covered her stomach, brushing off his fingers. "H-Hey!"

Peter just laughed. "I'm sorry, just teasing you. Couldn't help myself, you know?"

"You're hopeless," Tiger Lily sighed, stopping behind him, rubbing the spot where his fingers had drummed along her side.

She then felt Peter's lips press against hers, his arms going around her and pulling her into him. Tiger Lily grew distracted and the two kissed, growing more tender and sensual with every passing moment. She pulled back reluctantly, seeing straight into Peter's eyes. He grinned.

"Feeling better?"

Tiger Lily couldn't help but smile warmly at him. She nuzzled his face softly with her nose.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: And that's the seventh chapter, the end of the story, and how I thought the book "Tiger Lily", by Jodi Lynn Anderson, should have ended! I hope this story has been a pleasure to read, I know I make lots of mistakes when I revise =_= But that doesn't mean I didn't love writing this! For those who haven't read the book Tiger Lily, it's basically about Peter Pan having been in love with Tiger Lily before meeting Wendy; and while I won't spoil for you, I'll tell you that the ending certainly does not end like how this ended :( I'll give you a hint: my heart broke and I sobbed in my bed with an entire carton of ice cream for a week.  
><strong>

**Also, is it weird that I always seem to get excited when putting Tiger Lily in another cute dress, maybe I'm spending too much time on Google Images looking for references ^^; **

**If anyone is interested in any bonus or extra chapters to be like OVAs to the story, then please let me know! I'd be happy to hear you out. **

**And as always, reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated! Thanks again for reading!**


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